New Order Book 1: Rise
by LordAnguis
Summary: Already breaking under the events of his previous three years, Harry Potter's entry into the Tri-Wizard Tournament sends him down a darker path. Attempting at first to get revenge by using all those close to him in arcane rituals, Harry's focus shifts after an incident causes him to absorb the Horcrux residing within him, and gain a new appreciation for the man known as Tom Riddle.
1. Chapter 1

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. If I did, would I seriously be all, oh, fine, I'll live in substandard housing and deal with a bitchy landlord? No, I didn't think so. **_

_**A/N: Because of how this fic begins, I figured I'd explain a few things. It does start out with Harry going down the serial killer road. However, things happen along the way that transfers his path from that of a serial killer to that of a Dark Lord. This incident occurs in Chapter 11, for those who have been following this story from where I posted it previously on my DraconLord profile. Also, those who've been following this story will note the new 'series title'. **_

_**This story is pretty much the same as I had it on my DraconLord profile. So if you just want to add it to your follows and wait for the next chapter (which should be up soon), go ahead. For newcomers, please leave a review. **_

_**Oh, and some of my rules for newcomers:**_

_**No flaming (this includes or making a criticism without a suggestion on how to improve on the story). **_

_**No Anonymous Reviews. I have a personal belief that some of the more asshole type of fanfic readers on this site use Anon Reviews to hide from scrutiny, since they'll find themselves blocked for flaming if they have an account. **_

_**For the love of God or Satan or who/whatever, get it through your skull that this is ALTERNATE UNIVERSE, not CANON, and therefore WILL NOT ADHERE TO ROWLING'S FAIRY TALE MANNER OF STORYTELLING. **_

_**Please note, I think Rowling is an excellent writer. But her series is, in the end, more for kids who want to see a happily-ever-after ending for the titular character, and quite frankly, I find her lack of knowledge regarding the psychology of the abused to be offensive. I don't give a damn if you're a naturally-affable person, if you're abused, you will have SOME SIGN OF CYNICISM! The Harry in Book 5 was, IMO, the most authentic version of how Harry would be. Then, of course, Rowling turns it on its head and makes it so that the only reason he's acting like a complete douche bag is because of Voldemort, not because of PTSD. He got over Sirius quicker than he got over Cedric. Realistic? No.**_

_**Now that I've ranted a good long while, time to get this posted. I'll get chapters 1-10 reposted now, and hopefully Chapter 11 will be up within a few hours. **_

UNITED ORDER

BOOK 1:

RISE

BY

LORDANGUIS

Chapter One

"Harry Potter!" The hall was abuzz with whispers like the hum of angry bees as the aforementioned boy sat frozen in his seat, aware but unfeeling. How was this possible? He hadn't even gone near the Goblet, much less put his name in! All three champions had been chosen, so how could a fourth name be shot from the Goblet? What was going on here? "Harry, up here, if you please!" Dumbledore's second shout for his attention caused him to stumble forward at Hermione's insistent push, and he walked numbly to stand beside Dumbledore, who handed him the parchment upon which was written his name. Harry recognized the untidy scrawl as his own handwriting, and yet he had never written it. What was going on, here? "Well, Harry, through the door," said Dumbledore, who for once was not smiling nor twinkling in amusement.

Harry entered the antechamber where the Champions had previously disappeared, and waited numbly for Dumbledore to enter and make this all go away. He didn't bother answering Fleur Delacour, the arrogant French whore (though he had never said this aloud he had thought it after listening to Hermione and Ron go on about the girl from differing positions), as she demanded to know why he had come in. Harry's body was numb, but his mind was in overdrive. He watched silently as Bagman and the other judges, along with McGonagall and for some reason that greasy bat Snape entered the antechamber. Mad-Eye Moody stumped into the room after that, his whirling eye moving to keep an eye on the door to the antechamber.

Dumbledore moved right to Harry and demanded answers from him, to which Harry replied repeatedly, "No, I didn't put my name in the goblet. No I didn't ask someone else to do it." Dumbledore stared him in the eyes, and finally nodded.

When no one moved to dismiss the whole thing, Harry finally spoke up. "Excuse me, but isn't anyone going to tell me how the hell to get out of this? I didn't put my name in that damn cup, and I have bloody intention of competing in this tournament! I've risked my life enough, thank you very much!"

Professor McGonagall opened her mouth furiously to scold her wayward student, but Dumbledore raised a hand to silence her. He had wondered when Harry would break, and it seemed that moment was upon them. The boy needed to be handled gently; if they weren't careful, they would have another Tom Riddle on their hands. Worse, they wouldn't be able to do anything about it. Harry was the only one who handle Tom, and Dumbledore hoped he would do so with the gift his mother had given him, love. But the way the prophecy was worded easily suggested that Harry could become a powerful Dark wizard, and Dumbledore would have no choice but to keep him alive at least until the boy had finished Tom off. After that, Dumbledore or another Light wizard would have to take down the boy to keep him from finishing Tom's work.

Dumbledore said gently, "Harry, it is not so simple as you would like to think. The Goblet of Fire is a very powerful object, and even Confunded as it has been, it will deliver its judgment on those whose names it has selected."

"What judgment?" Harry asked, a feeling of dread encompassing his stomach and heart.

"Any who do not take part in the tasks placed before them will be stripped of their magic," Barty Crouch said, looking rather grave. "Because our magic is so much of who and what we are, Mr. Potter, to have one's magic stripped away is as good as a death sentence due to the shock that sets in. It is this same magic that is used in such magical oaths as the Unbreakable Vow. The Ministry has failed you, Mr. Potter. We should have placed a guard on the Goblet. As it is, you are an underage wizard competing in a tournament meant for adult wizards. You will have to at least put in a token effort, Mr. Potter, even if you do not wish to win."

Harry nodded, again feeling numb. He shook his head and said, "Guess I should've realized I wouldn't get a quiet year this year."

"What do you mean by that, Potter?" Moody asked from the corner where he had taken up residence. The other champions, including Cedric, looked interested as well. The three Hogwarts staff members, on the other hand, shifted guiltily.

"Let's see," Harry said sarcastically, "first year we have the Sorcerer's Stone fiasco, second year a bloody basilisk, and last year the Ministry sees fit to place soul-sucking creatures around the castle because of a _single man_. Now this! Far as I'm concerned, while Hogwarts is my home, the staff are going to find me a little less helpful now."

"What do you mean, Potter?" snapped Snape, looking as ugly as ever.

"I mean that you won't get respect from me unless you earn it," Harry snapped back, finally tired of this feud. "Give me detentions and take house points, I don't bloody care anymore. The staff at this school have done jack to help me, so I'm not going to help them, either with whatever crisis faces the school _next year_ or even showing respect to them unless they earn it!"

"I don't see where this attitude is coming from, Mr. Potter, but I don't like it," Professor McGonagall began.

"Professor, I respect you in the classroom, but every student knows you won't listen to those under your charge. Need I remind you of first year?" Professor McGonagall flushed. "Professor Snape delights in torturing non-Slytherin students, gives no instruction, and takes every chance he can to torment me and compare me insultingly to a man whose been dead for over a decade. He might be brilliant at Potions, but he's shitty as a teacher and if there's anyone here who fits the insults he flings at me every class, its him!"

With that, Harry pushed passed the stunned teachers and headed for Gryffindor Tower. But his feet clearly had another destination in mind, as he found himself standing instead in front of moaning Myrtle's bathroom. The Chamber of Secrets had not been closed up since his departure from the Chamber, as he'd refused to return there when asked. That meant that the monster's corpse, and the Chamber itself, were just as he had left them. Harry could feel the pressure mounting behind his eyes, the pressure that meant he was about to break down crying or curse something into oblivion, and knew his subconscious had brought him to the one place he would not be disturbed.

Harry entered the Chamber of Secrets minutes later, having used a few spells he'd picked up over the past year to clean the entryway of rubble. Entering the Chamber, he found the corpse of the basilisk had been picked clean by vermin, leaving only the skeletal remains and the fangs in place. Harry realized that the basilisk might have been a source of good materials to sell or even use in Potions, which explained Snape's increased hatred for him at the end of second and beginning of third year. Well, the loss of such a boon was worth the fact that he'd deprived Snape of anything worthwhile. The man would not have done anything different; he'd probably have complained instead about Harry's inability to salvage the eyeballs in their complete, whole form.

Harry turned to one of the statues, and allowed his anger at the injustices he had been forced to endure to rise up and raised his wand. "Confringo!" he barked out, and the statue exploded; yet there was no satisfaction as had once come for him when he did this to cool down. It was one of the few habits of his that Hermione and Ron were unaware of. He had disappeared for hours at times to find a nice, out of the way classroom to practice some of his more dangerous spells when angry, so as not to take out his anger on them. The two of them had no idea what their constant bickering or nagging did to him; he had tried to keep the peace between them but they seemed to almost take a perverse pleasure in going after each other or nagging him to take one side or the other. Than there was the nagging in general: Ron wanting him to play a game of chess or exploding snap, while Hermione was constantly on him to study. Of course, whenever he did start to do well, she got irritated or jealous, he'd noticed, which was why he stuck to being good at Defense in public but average all-around with his other subjects.

Harry realized, though, that to take part in this tournament he was going to have to let his other side out for play time. He had been aware of his darker nature since last year, when he had nearly killed his godfather, but he hadn't had the stomach for it. Not then; and not now, really. He realized that, just like everything else, he needed practice.

A squeaking sound attracted his attention. Turning, he saw a rat sniffing around the basilisk skeleton, and he tilted his head. If he looked at it just right, he could almost imagine it was Pettigrew's Animagus form. Remembering the lesson Moody had given them recently, Harry moved forward slowly, allowing his hatred of Pettigrew and his desire to make him suffer to come to the surface, and raised his wand to point at the rat, which truly was nothing more than a rat, come to find any pickings left by other vermin. "Crucio," Harry whispered, and the rat started jerking and squeaking, as the spider had done under Moody's wand, and Harry could feel the satisfaction that had been missing when he destroyed the statue surge through him. It appeared his inclinations had changed; it was not enough to simply use destructive magic anymore. Now he needed to witness the after effects. "Confringo!" The jet of light struck the rat, which had been recovering from its first ever experience with the Cruciatus Curse, which exploded in a gory mess.

Harry, feeling much better about himself now that he had vented his frustrations, headed otwards the Chamber's entrance. One thing he knew he would have to do was keep the students from turning on him. He needed to go to the library, as Crouch's mention of magical oaths had made him think about a way to keep people from suspecting him. It had to be full-proof of course, but from the sound of it, there were a number of magical oaths that could be used for that purpose.

Had anyone else been present, they would have noted the apparent lust for blood that Harry had shown in killing the rodent, and been concerned. Dumbledore's desire to have Harry as his chosen one would make for many sacrifices in the coming years, sacrifices the old man would follow through on with ill ease.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Breakfast was well underway the next morning when Harry Potter made his first appearance since becoming an unwilling champion in the TriWizard Tournament. While the heads of each school had attested to the fact that Potter had been entered forcibly and had not entered himself, there were still some who suspected him of treachery. One of these was Ronald Weasley, who had allowed his jealousy to overcome what common sense he normally possessed which, when compared to that of Hermione Granger, was miniscule. Harry's actiosn this morning, though, would ensure none could think that without truly being idiots.

Instead of taking a seat at the Gryffindor Table as he would normally do, Harry marched up to the front of the Hall and stood in front of the Head Table before turning sharply to face the Great Hall. Professor Snape opened his mouth to make a scathing comment, but Professor McGonagall placed a firm hand on the younger man's left forearm, giving him a pointed look. The old woman had taken the vitriol Potter had shot at the Hogwarts staff last evening to heart, and allowed the lioness she had caged inside her to roam free. She would no longer tolerate Snape's bigotry and adolescent meanderings, regardless of the headmaster's desire to keep Snape on staff.

Harry, looking out at the Great Hall, said, "I know a lot of you think I somehow tricked the Goblet, and that I want to be in this tournament. I also know that the assurances of those in authority mean exactly zilch to most of you; I know they do to me." Here, there were a few grins from all tables and schools, while said authority figures glared at the boy's back. It appeared the boy was making good on his statements of the previous night regarding respect: he would respect them in their subjects, but not in public.

Harry, unconcerned with how the teachers were reacting behind him, continued, "I went to the library last night because of something Mr. Crouch mentioned in connection to the Goblet of Fire. How many of you have heard of the Wizard's Oath?" All of them raised their hands, looking bored. Harry knew his next actions would wipe that bored look off of their faces. He raised his wand, and before the staff or anyone else could move to stop him, he intoned, "I, Harry James Potter, declare on my magic and on my family's honor that I did not enter the TriWizard Tournament, nor did I ask another to do it for me. I declare this in the names of Merlin, the Founders, and The Fates of the Ancients. So mote it be."

The Great Hall was left stunned. Even the Slytherins couldn't think of anything to say; Harry Potter had just used one of the most powerful Magical Oaths to declare that he never entered the tournament willingly, either on his own or with the aid of another. They had thought him ignorant, unwilling to embrace his wizarding heritage; why else would he wear those hideous Muggle clothes that were rattier than the Weasleys' everday wear? But this showed that Potter was perhaps more open to the Wizarding heritage than they had thought. They also were not unaware of the shift in power at the Head Table. The only Slytherins not smart enough to see the shift were Crabbe, Goyle, and Parkinson; even Draco Malfoy had seen Snape being silenced before he could speak. It appeared the days where Snape could protect them so easily were over, if McGonagall and the other teachers continued to act in this fashion.

Speech over, Harry headed to his usual spot at the Gryffindor table and sat down, grabbing a few things to eat and pouring a glass of orange juice. He liked pumpkin juice alright, but not to get going on the morning. As he ate, he realized he was being stared at. He looked up to see Hermione looking at him in a rather perturbed fashion. "What?" he asked shortly.

"That was really dangerous, Harry," Hermione began, only to be cut off by a gesture from Harry.

"This _tournament_ is dangerous, Hermione," Harry snapped, waving in the direction of the other Champions. "Its designed for wizards who are of age this time around, but I still have to compete. I don't get a cheater's guide or anything. This vow, on the other hand, wasn't dangerous because I stated what is true. If I had lied, than yes, I would have forfeited my magic, my life, and my family's accumulated honor and wealth. But I knew that what I was going to say was the truth." Harry paused for a moment, then said softly, "You are very intelligent, Hermione, but maybe you should actually look into things before jjumping to conclusions. Is it any wonder the wizard-born kids don't like you, despite getting on with other Muggleborn?" With that, Harry rose, taking one last drink of orange juice before heading out. He was stopped, however, by Ron Weasley, who was red in the face and ignoring the gestures his brothers and sister were making behind Harry.

"So, what, you come in here, throw out some big vow, insult Hermione, and leave?" Ron demanded. "What the hell's gotten into you, Harry?"

Harry's eyebrow twitched, reminded of last night's row in the tower, and he raised his wand. "Serpensortia," he incanted, and a black snake shot out of his wand to land at Ron's feet. "_Bind him_," Harry commanded, and the snake obliged, wrapping tightly around the redhead. "You no longer get to speak to me as a friend, Weasley," Harry finally replied, watching the frightened redhead. "You spouted off about how I was bigheaded and arrogant last night, sounding an awful lot like a certain overgrown bat, and now we're chums even when you're going after me for pointing out something that anyone with a single brain cell can see?" Harry tilted his head slightly. "Damn, that must mean you're dumber than Crabbe or Goyle, then, seeing as even they can see it."

Draco, over at the table, snorted slightly. This was just too amusing; the Golden Boy was publicly using his Dark talent to intimidate his one-time loud-mouthed friend, and before that had put the jumped-up Granger Mudblood in her place. Whatever had gotten into Potter, Draco liked it. He couldn't wait to see what the Gryffindor boy would do next.

Harry heard the snort, but ignored it in favor of continuing to speak to Ron. "You and I are not friends, Weasley. Not anymore. Your brothers and sister remain in my good books simply because they have yet to come after me like a lumbering moron with an inferirority complex. Hogwarts and its students would probably be much better off if a simpleton like you just went and tossed yourself off the astronomy tower. _Vipera Evanesca!_" the spell hit the black snake, and Harry departed the Great Hall as Weasley collapsed, and Professor McGonagall shouted for Harry to report to her office for detention that night.

Once again, whispers followed Harry around the halls as he walked from class to class; the students became surprised when Harry began showing his intelligence; it was small at first, but by the time they reached Defense that afternoon, the students were well-aware that the Harry they'd been going to school with wasn't quite the same as the one who had shown himself. But what they didn't know was that even the Harry they were now seeing was a façade for the monster that would soon be stalking their halls.

In Defense, Professor Moody asked, "What spells can be used in a combat situation? What spells would be useless?" The usual suspects such as Stupefy or Expelliarmus were thrown out. Finally, Harry raised his hand. "What've you got for us this time, Potter?" asked Moody, his mouth dropping into a jagged grin. While he was in fact not Moody, but a Death Eater, he did find the young boy, no, young man's insights into defensive and offensive magic truly exhilarating. He had been exchanging messages with his Master regarding the boy; his Master was intrigued that the young man who he had tangled with years ago was no longer under Dumbledore's thumb, or so it seemed. Barty believed the young man would be an asset to their side if they could convince him; his master had said that would have to wait, as the ritual he would be performing required the young man to be his enemy. Barty had acquiesced, but he was keeping track of the young man's antics to show his master the benefits of the boy's allegiance.

Oblivious to the instructor's internal monologue, Harry said, "Well, sir, just about any spell would do, not just your defensive or offensive magicks. An obliviate is too complex for a battlefield scenario, but a simple confundus would be enough to make an opponent useless on the battlefield. If a person was Confunded but without orders, they would be a sitting target. Even a household cleaning charm like Scourgify is something that can be used."

"Give me a scenario," Barty snapped in Moody's rough tones, curious to see where the boy was going with this.

"Well, if the opponent is incapable of non-verbal casting, they've been taken out momentarily, long enough for someone to cast a more permanent curse on them. If they are capable of non-verbal, but fighting alone as wizards tend to do, there is still the distraction of soapy suds spewing from one's mouth," Harry replied. Even Hermione was looking at him, open-mouthed, having never considered such tactics in a duel. Then again, at this age, most wizards thought of duels as matters of honor or pride; for someone like Moody or even Harry, who had been forced to mature a bit more than his classmates thanks to his past, dueling was a matter of life and death, and you didn't pull punches for the sake of honor or pride.

Barty clapped his hands delightedly and barked out a laugh. "Excellent work, Potter, 20 points to Gryffindor for ingenuity!" he declared. "That, boys and girls, is the difference between a school-yard brawl and a duel for life or death. Your schoolyard duels are matters of House honor or pride, and you keep it clean because you do not wish to dishonor the likes of the Founders with your childish antics. But a duel between say, an Auror and a Death Eater, was never meant to be one of honor or pride. No, those duels were to the death at times, but the Ministry hampered the Aurors by keeping its schoolyard view. Only when Barty Crouch took over as Head of Law Enforcement did things begin to get done. He was one of the few who knew that the Death Eaters were not simply criminals, but terrorists, and the Dark Lord a cult leader."

Barty did not like saying these things about himself and his master, but he knew Moody would have said something like this and he had to play the part. His master had ordered him to do whatever it took, even insulting him. Of course, that didn't mean his master wasn't going to torture him if he failed, and the torture would be all the worse if he had had to insult his master for nothing.

The class let out, and Ron rushed out ahead of everyone. Most everyone assumed that this was because of his and Harry's confrontation, and in a way it was; just not in the way everyone else thought. They believed it was because Ron was frightened of Harry after the display in the Great Hall; but it was actually because Ron was angry. Hermione had pulled him aside during break and, despite her red eyes, defended Harry and pointed out that other people had told her she needed to cool it, even Professor McGonagall, but she had ignored them in her zeal to learn everything. Ron found this attitude of defending Harry very irritating, which had led to another row between Hermione and Ron. In a foul mood, Ron had written a letter he hoped would solve all the problems he was having. Because despite his desire to be seen as a mature, suave young man, he was still very much a young boy due to the way his mother raised her children, and like any young boy, he believed his mother could fix everything.

Pig sped away from Hogwarts castle that night, intent on delivering the note from his master that would see the Weasley family and their relationship to Harry Potter forever changed.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Harry entered Professor McGonagall's office that night to find the stern-looking professor grading papers. "I'm here for my detention, Professor," Harry said smoothly, determined not to make another scene like he had the previous night. He had felt embarrassed by airing the school's dirty laundry in front of their international guests, though he did not regret venting as he had. He had needed to do so for a long time, but had kept silent as his Uncle had taught him. The tournament had simply been the catalyst for all his pent-up frustrations to break free.

"Mr. Potter, please take a seat," Professor McGonagall said, gesturing to a chair she conjured in front of her desk. "I had intended to simply assign you a normal detention, but I realized after some thought that we truly need to clear the air between us. As you said, the Hogwarts staff has failed you, and I fear in more ways than I know. We have never had a proper discussion of your needs; I was given a report by Hagrid after your trip to Diagon Alley, but I was so swamped that day that I should've realized Hagrid, for all the goodness in his heart, can be oblivious."

"I'm confused, Professor," Harry said honestly. "What exactly are we doing here tonight?"

"I guess one would call it a student-teacher conference in the Muggle world, similar to a Parent-teacher conference," McGonagall said. "In this case, I act as your magical guardian while you attend Hogwarts, and I am here for you to speak to. Did Hagrid not tell you this?"

"Er, no," Harry said, and explained how the day in Diagon Alley had gone. After he had done so, he asked, "Professor, the day I told you about the Stone, were you swamped?"

"Yes, Mr. Potter," she replied evenly, determined not to snap at the boy. She had heard about his comments from her colleagues, and wanted to see where he was going with this.

"Well, I mean no offense, but it seems as though you've got too much on your plate, much like the Headmaster," Harry said diplomatically. "Professor Dumbledore is understandable; he is a great wizard and has many who demand his attention. While you are a powerful which in your own right, you're not nearly as in demand as the headmaster. But you're juggling teacher, Head of House, and Deputy Headmistress, with the Head of House position doubling as Magical Guardian for those who are muggle-raised or who don't have an acceptable wizarding relative. Am I wrong?"

"No, Mr. Potter, you are not," replied McGonagall.

"Well, ma'am, I'd suggest you give up either Head of House or Deputy Headmistress," Harry said. "You're spread too thin regardless, but when the Headmaster is involved in the Ministry workings you're left scrambling to fill the void. I'm trying not to be offensive, but I don't think you can handle both and still be effective."

McGonagall frowned at the young boy, who simply gazed back at her earnestly. Those green eyes, so like his mother's, were begging her to make the choice. She could tell that he wanted to keep her from going crazy, and she herself had begun to feel the strain. Perhaps she would have to make that choice. She would discuss it with the headmaster, though, not with a student, even if he was one of her favorites. "I will consider your words, Potter," McGonagall said finally. "Now, I recognize there is some animosity between you and Professor Snape."

"He hates me because I look like my father, and he doesn't bother teaching anything," Harry said. "When I was in the library during the Christmas holidays first year, I was reading some supplementary books which are tagged as being books used by wizarding children being tutored in the years Muggle children go to primary school. The basics of Potions that everyone I know is having trouble with are taught in those years, but not every pureblood family does it. I don't think the Weasleys do, and from what Neville's told me, his family spent more time trying to spook the magic out of him than teaching him things he needs to know. Is it any wonder we have problems? Do Muggleborns even get a list of supplementary books for the subjects that require more than just directions thrown on the board, which is Snape's teaching method?"

McGonagall had to keep herself from gaping. Here was a fourth-year student poking holes in practically everything about Hogwarts' education program, and worse, it was with good reason. It appeared that the Hogwarts Staff had been doing a great injustice against not only Potter, but the student body as a whole. It seemed she would have much to discuss with Professor Dumbledore in their next meeting. This was going to shake the very foundations of Hogwarts, but even McGonagall could see how utterly they had been failing their students.

McGonagall said, "You are giving me much to think about, Mr. Potter, which makes me quite hesitant to even bring up your confrontation with Mr. Weasley. I am assuming the reason you acted as you did is because you feel the staff would do nothing to stop him berating you?"

"Professor, you generally do see trouble and try and stop it," Harry said diplomatically, "but I've noticed when it comes to me, people generally seem to prefer to leave me to my own devices. From my arguments with Draco to how the school acted first with the Chamber and now with the Goblet, its been clear the teachers don't want to protect a student when he's being singled out unless it goes beyond mere words. Perhaps you'd be interested to know a gang of Hufflepuffs tried to beat me up in second year? If it hadn't been for the Twins, I would've been in the hospital wing the day Hermione was attacked. Funny, eh?" Harry winced, realizing he was sounding rather bitter.

McGonagall, on the other hand, was forced to hold her composure as she said, "Very well, Mr. Potter. I see your reasoning, but I ask that when it comes to students harassing you, you come to speak with us on the matter. Can you make that promise?"

"If it's a student harassing me, yeah," said Harry. "But I remember a few times I got hate mail during second year because some student's parents' believed their kid about me being some evil Heir who was trying to kill all the Muggleborns. I let it slide last time, professor, but I know what I can do now. After Sirius Black escaped I decided to learn more about my family history. Turns out I'm the last of an Ancient and Noble House, and slander is dangerous to do against me. Or am I wrong?" At McGonagall's headshaking, Harry shrugged and said, "Way I see it, only an idiot or a sensationalist like Rita Skeeter would try something."

"Very well, Mr. Potter," McGonagall conceded. "You may handle any problems that come from outside Hogwarts, but inside our walls, come to the staff members."

"I will, Professor," said Harry. "Anything else?"

"No, you may go," replied McGonagall, waving him away slightly.

Harry left, and was soon beset by a mischievous pair of redheads. "Why look here, George, I think its young Harry Potter!"

"Come from detention with Lioness, no doubt," George said.

"I wonder-" Fred began.

"If she gave him- " continued George

"The Lecture," they finished together in a chorus.

Harry raised his eyebrows at the two and said, "Sorry to disappoint, boys, but we merely had a friendly chat about Hogwarts and ways to improve things between the students and teachers. She even apologized a couple of times," he added, even if the Professor hadn't done it quite as overtly as he was making it out to have been. He patted the twins on their shoulders as he walked by, leaving the twins standing open-mouthed in the hallway. After a few seconds, they gathered their wits about them and ran off after the younger boy, wrapping their arms around his shoulders. "You know, Harry," began Fred.

"This calls for a celebration," concluded George. "To the kitchens!"

Harry allowed the twins to escort him to the kitchens, knowing when the twins were like this there was no stopping them. besides, he was in a fairly good mood tonight. He'd avoided any further confrontations, and Hermione had actually thanked him for being blunt with her. She had then informed him not to do so again, or she would curse him good. He had shrugged that off, knowing that he could destroy her if she got in his way. He paused mentally, realizing what he had just thought about that earlier conversation. Did he really think that way? Did he really believe he would need to get Hermione out of Hogwarts in one way or another if she didn't approve of his actions?

The answer that came back surprised him, but did not cause him to shudder in revulsion as it would have a year ago. That year before he realized Sirius was innocent had surely changed him, he realized; a year ago, he wouldn't have considered getting rid of Hermione. But now, he would do it without hesitation.

In the kitchens, Harry had barely a moment to see the kitchens before a squealing sound erupted and a blur came from the center of the kitchen. He heard a high-pitched voice exclaim his name and his many virtues as a pair of thin arms wrapped around his legs and brought him crashing to the ground, to the amusement of the twins. Harry realized who it was that had grabbed him and said dryly, "Hello, Dobby. I trust freedom is suiting you?"

"Oh, indeed, Harry Potter, sir!" Dobby exclaimed, "I is buying yarn to make more socks, sir!"

"Good for you," Harry replied, ignoring the rolling pandas, aka the Weasley twins, as he answered the excitable house-elf.

Dobby's ears suddenly wilted and said, "Ah, but Winky is not dealing with freedom as well as I have, sir," he said, motioning for Harry to follow. Harry did so, and found Winky sitting amidst a handful of Butterbeer bottles. What followed was an eye-opening education into the bonds wizards could form; Fred and George, seeing a serious conversation incoming, had taken their leave, which they would come to regret in the coming days. Harry learned about how House-Elves drew their powers from serving powerful wizards and how Dobby was an anomaly due to a mixed heritage in his breeding line. Harry, despite his newfound enjoyment of suffering, could see how useful having a house-elf or two at his service would be, and so bound the two house-elves to his service. They would continue to serve at Hogwarts, as he did not need them very much; but they could not betray him, even legilimency (which Winky had explained to Harry) would not work against a House-Elf's bond.

Harry had also learned about the bond that forms when one wizard saves the life of another. He realized that Hermione had no bindings to him or Ron, as they had put her in danger in the first place, but Ginny was in debt to him, and he could do anything he desired with that debt. He had debated whether or not to use it, but had decided not to. Ronald may be an ass, but that didn't make the rest of the Weasleys worthless. Only if one of them did something to truly anger him, or something that had to be answered harshly, would he choose to use that life debt. He hoped it would not come to that, but he knew that Ron, while a it of an idiot, was not the only hotheaded fool in the Weasley clan.

_**The Burrow**_

Molly Weasley sighed contentedly as she watched the clock that held the names of her family. Both Arthur and Percy were late coming home from work, but she had come to expect it. The Ministry was still recovering from the debacle of the Quidditch World Cup and taking it out on their employees as a result. She wondered how people couldn't see that it was men like Lucius Malfoy who had een responsible for the actions at the Cup, but then, she knew that men like Cornelius Fudge were easily blinded by the shine of gold in a leather bag. It was one of the reasons she had married Arthur, despite her own family's level of prestige. She had wanted to marry a man of integrity rather than a man who got by on gold alone. She did not want to become a trophy wife like Narcissa Malfoy, despite her preaching of how a proper witch should act.

She had heard many tales from her children about Draco Malfoy, and occasionally about Hermione or Harry. She shook her head; she was by no means a bigot like the Malfoys, but she did not see any reason for a magical child to be shackled to a Muggle family like Harry and Hermione were. Their upbringing, while good for the Muggle world, she was sure, did not prepare them for the wizarding world. But then, the upbringing of the likes of Draco Malfoy left much to be desired as well.

Molly was glad that the way she brought up her children showed in their commitment to their pursuits. Bill was an accomplished Curse-Breaker for Gringotts and she had heard of offers for him to join the private sector; she wished he would since he would be closer to home, then. Charlie was on his way to becoming one of the best Dragon-Handlers in Romania, from all reports. He wrote as often as he could, but like Bill, it was difficult for Molly to support her son in his pursuit when it meant he wasn't home very often, or even seeking to settle down.

Percy, on the other hand, was more down-to-earth than his older brothers and showed it. He had gained a good starting job in the Department of International Magical Cooperation, and he was putting in long hours to show his commitment to continuing on in the Ministry. The twins, despite their arguments with her, did seem committed to opening that joke shop they talked about. She wanted to support them, she really did; she saw their genius every day, but the problem was getting the funding for that kind of business. Gringotts would give them a loan, sure, but the goblins were nasty little blighters who would do all they could to trick a wizard out of his hard-earned gold. She did not wish to see her sons as indentured servants to the goblins, which would happen if they were unable to pay the loan back to Gringotts.

Ron was likely the least ambitious of her sons, but he seemed to have found a way to shine by being friends with the famous Harry Potter (the poor dear) and the clearly ambitious Hermione Granger. While Molly thought that Hermione could do with a little less ambition and more lessons in being a homemaker, she did think Hermione was a good influence on both Ron and Harry. Harry's friendship with Ron had been a boon, in more ways than one, to the Weasley family. Molly was certain that if it hadn't been for the fact that Harry was close to their family, Arthur would have lost his job over the flying car debacle. That, and Albus's own influence in the case had managed to clear things up.

Finally, there was her pride and joy, her only daughter. Ginny had been a blessing; after Ron, she had feared she would no longer be able to bear children and that had caused her a small moment of depression before the news that she was pregnant again had come. Ginny was the light of her life, though she too could do with a less-adventurous spirit and more knowledge of being a homemaker. She knew her daughter didn't see herself in that way, but more as a Quidditch player or a journalist of some kind, but Molly was highly disapproving of the Holyhead Harpies and their influence on young ladies, and she would rather die than have her daughter become another Rita Skeeter. No, Ginny and Ron would need more guidance than her other children, and she knew how to handle it. She just needed to do it properly otherwise she could get into trouble. She hadn't last time because things turned out alright, but she was smart enough to recognize times had changed and her methods at the time were no longer allowed for the purposes of matchmaking, which she thought a mistake.

Molly was brought out of her thoughts by a tapping at the window. Looking up, she smiled as she saw her son Ron's owl, Pigwidgeon (or Pig as the children called it, to her secret amusement), sitting there. Moving to the window, she opened it and took the letter from the hyper little owl, which set to twittering away and buzzing around the other two owls in the room, Errol and Hermes. Errol simply blinked blearily at the mini-owl before returning to his near-constant state of slumber (they really needed to get a new owl before Errol croaked mid-flight), while Hermes glared up at the mini-owl, daring it to come closer. Molly had noted Hermes had a strong distaste for Pig, and had done her best to keep the two of them separate. Honestly, she knew sometimes wizards took on the traits of their familiars, but she doubted Ron and Percy had such a tumultuous relationship. She would have heard about it, surely; Percy was ever so conscientious about those things.

Sitting down at the table, Molly opened the letter and read; as she did so, she found herself growing more and more angry; how dare that boy do that to Ron after all Ron had done for him: Befriending him on the train, keeping the likes of the Malfoys from seeking their claws into him; helping him out on those wild adventures Harry seemed so fond of that Molly was sure Lily would have disapproved of if she was worthy of being called a mother; and then sticking by him when the school turned against him! Molly was so angry she didn't bother to think rationally about how to react, she did as she had always done. She picked up a few supplies from the study and began making a Howler.

_**Hogwarts – The Great Hall**_

The students were all seated, eating breakfast, when Hermes swooped down on the Gryffindor table (Molly having decided Pig couldn't handle such a delivery properly and Errol was too old to deliver another Howler). Landing in front of Harry, the pompous owl dropped the red envelope in fornt of him (having carried it in its beak) and then flew off into the rafters. Harry, raising an eyebrow, merely opened the envelope to let the Howler speak its mind. He would decide afterward what should happen.

"_**HARRY JAMES POTTER!**_" the Howler bellowed in Molly Weasley's outraged voice, "_**HOW DARE YOU ACT SO ATROCIOUSLY! FIRST YOU ENTER THE TOURNAMENT, FAKE AN OATH OF GREAT SEVERITY TO GET EVERYONE ON YOUR SIDE, AND THAN ATTACK RON WHEN HE STANDS UP FOR A FELLOW STUDENT AND CALLS YOUR BLUFF! IF YOUR PARENTS WERE ALIVE, THEY WOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOU! I KNOW JAMES POTTER WOULD HAVE DECLARED YOU A DISGRACE TO YOUR HOUSE AND TO YOUR NAME! YOU ARE NO LONGER WELCOME AT THE BURROW, YOUNG MAN!**_" The Howler detonated with a slight _puff_, but no one heard it. They were all too busy waiting for Harry's reaction. The twins and Ginny were glaring at Ron, knowing the son who'd been babied too much was responsible for this. Ron, meanwhile, was smug; unfortunately, his smugness would dissolve into horror.

Harry turned to the Head Table and met Professor McGonagall's gaze. "Professor, I trust you shared our discussion with the Headmaster?" At the professor's nod, Harry said, "Well, I'd say this fits the criteria, wouldn't you agree?"

Dumbledore stood and said, "I cannot stop you, Harry, but please consider the repurcussions of any actions you take."

"Such as the repercussions of insulting the last of an Ancient and Noble House, and slandering them with the memory of their parents?" Harry asked, quirking an eyebrow.

Ron, for his part, was beginning to realize just what was going on, and was beginning to panic. He should've thought things through, damn it! Now Harry would be able to do whatever he felt necessary to restore his family's honor. But the question was, what would he do?

Harry turned to face the gathered Weasleys, a look of regret on his face before his eyes met Ron's, at which point his expression turned cold. "It seems, Ronald, that you have the pettiness of a child whose favorite toy has been taken away from him," Harry began, "and to have involved your mother in this to this point has caused a great deal more hrm for your family than if you'd simply kept it to insulting me at every chance you got. This is on you, Ronald Weasley, remember that." Harr turned his attention to the other three Weasleys and said, his voice suggesting reluctance, "Ginevra Molly Weasley, I Harry James Potter call in the life debt you owe to me for saving your life in the Chamber of Secrets. You will swear fealty to the House of Potter and will no longer be allowed entrance into the Weasley home known as the Burrow, as the Weasley Matriarch, with her words, has declared all those who are with the House of Potter to be enemies of the House of Weasley."

No one could do anything against Harry in this moment; Hermione had looked up Magical Oaths and Bonds after the argument with Harry and she knew the bond a life debt caused. She might have been angry at Harry for doing this, but she knew it was in reaction to the way Molly Weasley had reacted to her son's childish claims. What was worse, people probably expected more from Harry without realizing that he was, for all intents and purposes, still a young teenager with all the control issues that came from that age. Not to mention, what Harry was doing was Old Magic at its greatest, and not even the powerful Albus Dumbledore could meddle with that magic without causing problems (though he had done so once before with Harry and the Dursleys).

Ginny, shaking, gave hr oath, while the Weasley brothers could only glare at each other and at Harry. Even the twins were angry with Harry for doing this; he could've at least done it privately; they might eventually see why he had to do it this way, but for now they were angry at him, at Ron, and at their mother.

But the reactions at Hogwarts were nothing compared to the reactions in the rest of the wizarding world as things began to tilt to one side. The saying the smallest ripple can make a difference would be an apt one, if one considers the result of a boulder smashing into a lake to be a ripple.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

_**The Ministry of Magic**_

The Department of Magical Oaths and Bonds, a subsidiary to the Department of Mysteries, was amongst the most boring offices in the Ministry, right up alongside the ever-mired Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office, though the major difference between the two was that Magical Oaths and Bonds was suitably funded and had more than one wizard employed (as Perkins from Misuse of Muggle Artifacts could hardly be trusted to act accordingly, Arthur Weasley was the only working member of that office). Three wizards, split into three shifts of eight hours, ensured that any magical bonds that occurred would be registered.

The morning shift on September 10, 1994 was covered by a rather odious wizard whose only saving grace was the fact that he was the brother of Augusta Longbottom, Algernon McKinnon. One of the last of that bloodline (the majority of it having been wiped out by Lord Voldemort during his reign of terror), McKinnon was too old to pass on his bloodline and knew he would see the end of it; perhaps this was one of the reasons he had acted in such a manner to Augusta's grandson, or perhaps he was simply a sadist; not even he knew for sure.

Algie, as he was called more often than not, normally dozed on and off during his shift, and he had settled in to take a nap when the instruments in the office began shining and spinning. Jumping into action as fast as he could (which wasn't all that fast as he rivaled Muriel Prewett in age), Algie sent a spell at one of the instruments, which began churning out a sheet of parchment much like a Muggle printer. It was one of the advances made by the Department of Mysteries that hadn't been accepted as of yet in the broader Ministry for use, but was accepted as being trusted in the Department.

"Hmm," Algie said as he read over the "printed" results. "Indentured servitude bond, resulting from a life debt that formed between the recipient and the indentured June 1992. Family of indentured verbally attacked and discarded all connections to the recipient, resulting in an insult to the recipient's family honor. Recipient is a member of an Ancient and Noble House. Name of indentured listed as Ginevra Molly Weasley, born August 1981; Recipient listed as. . ." Algie trailed off, looking at the name printed there in disbelief. No, that wasn't possible; his great-nephew had mentioned how stupid the Potter boy was and how ignorant he was of proper wizarding etiquette (Algie conveniently forgetting these were his own words and not those of his great-nephew). Perhaps this was a recent development? Regardless, the fact remained that the recipient was listed as one Harry James Potter, born July 1980.

The protocol for these issues was clearly illustrated for even an aging warlock to understand, and so Algie began writing up letters to be sent out to all concerned parties. Harry Potter had inadvertently declared himself emancipated, although some would argue his forced placement in the TriWzard Tournament had already done so. There were people who needed to be informed, from the Minister of Magic to the Goblins of Gringotts. Not to mention Arthur Weasley had to be informed, as the actions members of his family had taken and could possibly take further may cause irreparable damage to the Weasley family. Algie decided that he could do that one himself, at least, rather than simply writing a letter. Once the required letters had been filled out and posted, Algie left the office and headed for the floor containing the DMLE and its subsidiaries, which included the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office.

Entering said office, Algie found Arthur Weasley in the middle of another of his mad experiments regarding rubber ducks and plugs. The man was truly insane, but brilliant at handling Muggles which was why he had this position. "Arthur, we need to talk," Algie said, interrupting the "mad scientist", as the Muggles would call him.

Arthur glanced up and said, "Algie, good to see you! What's been going on? How is Augusta?"

"Augusta is fine, Arthur," Algie said, gesturing for the excitable younger man (compared to Algie at any rate) to sit. "But there have been some developments that need your attention."

"What developments?" asked Arthur, calming down slightly. He noticed that Algie was looking rather uncomfortable, but he couldn't think of any reason for it.

"Your daughter owed a life debt to Harry Potter since 1992, correct?" Algie asked.

"Yes, he saved her life in the Chamber of Secrets at Hogwarts," Arthur said. "Our family owes him a debt in that fashion, too, but he's never said anything about it. Why?"

"It appears that some members of your family have taken it upon themselves to insult the young man, who has been forced into the TriWizard Tournament. He took a Wizard's Oath to that effect, but it appears whoever did this ignored the fact or convinced themselves he somehow lied through the Oath. Regardless of how it happened, the result is the same, Arthur: Mr. Potter called out the debt and Ginevra is now his indentured servant. She can no longer live in your home, she can no longer do anything unless he allows it. He is within his rights to remove her from school, but it appears he is not so cruel as to do that. I think you had best go home, Arthur, and find out what's going on."

"Yes, I'll do that," Arthur said, feeling a cold darkness forming in the pit of his stomach. He knew very well exactly who would have made such a wrong move towards Harry Potter, and he couldn't for the life of him figure out how things were going to work out. His wife was a good mother, but sometimes she was overbearing and overprotective to the point of making foolish choices. If she had done as he thought she did, it was likely her fault that she would no longer have a daughter to dote on.

In another part of the Ministry, Cornelius Fudge was speaking with the Head of Magical Law Enforcement, Amelia Bones, when the owl with Algernon's letters arrived. They each took the envelope marked with their name, and the owl shot away again, this time heading for Gringotts. Once Amelia and Fudge finished their letters, each of them became absorbed in their own thoughts. The repercussions were clear to see, and Fudge was wondering how he was to avoid issues with the young Mr. Potter as it was clear the young man was now well-aware of his status and the Old Ways. If young Mr. Potter knew that he could call for a trial for his godfather (even if Black was guilty, such a trial could bring down condemnation on Fudge's administration), than there would be repercussions far more widespread than what the young Mr. Potter was spreading at the moment.

Amelia, on the other hand, could not ignore the serious issues this was bringing up. It was clear the young man had been emancipated out of circumstance more than anything else, but he was clearly still impulsive as evidenced by taking such an action. He could simply have called for a duel between himself, the injured party, and the ones responsible for the insult to his family name and honor. Instead, he had called in a life debt from the family in question and that would cause a lot of problems. The Old Ways were not as widely-known as they had been in the past. Before his descent into madness, Voldemort had been trying to use politics to return the Old Ways to their former glory. Amelia didn't know what happened to cause Voldemort to sink into the madness that resulted in a full-blown Wizarding War, but she hoped to never see it again. That is why she tried hard to seek a balance between the new ways of the Wizarding World and the Old Ways, the Old Magicks that still held powerful sway regardless of how different the world was now.

_**The Burrow**_

Arthur appeared with a crack outside the Burrow and hurried inside to find his wife listening to the Wizarding Wireless and surprisingly Percy was there as well. Arthur than recalled that Mr. Crouch had given Percy the week off while he dealt with the goings-on at Hogwarts, though that hadn't stopped Percy from going in the night before to turn in several reports he had been working on for his boss. Percy was a fine, ambitious son that Arthur was proud of, if only because he felt Percy could break the stigma that seemed to have been stuck to the Weasley family for the past three generations, since one of their family had sided with Grindlewald and been a spy, only to be struck down by Dumbledore during the final duels.

Molly looked up from her work and said in surprise, "Arthur, what are you doing home?"

"What did you do, Molly?" Arthur asked, the feeling dread resurfacing as he leveled a gaze at his wife. Percy stood still where he had been, wondering what the hell was going on. His father had never acted this way before, much less towards Molly.

"What do you mean, dear?" asked Molly, honestly confused at the way Arthur was acting.

"No games, Molly," Arthur said. "Did you do _anything_, say _anything_, that would've been considered an insult to Harry Potter or his House?"

"I-I sent him a Howler because of a letter from Ron," Molly stammered. "But honestly, Arthur, he needed to be taught a lesson. Those Muggles he lives with have no idea how to raise a wizard properly. He needed a firm hand, and nothing is firmer than an public embarrassment. Its always been that way in our world," she finished with a sharp nod. Arthur gaped at her, and Percy wasn't far behind, his aghast expression clearly showing that he wondered where his mother had gotten her logic from.

"Molly, tell me exactly what you said in that Howler, word for word," Arthur said, pinching the bridge of his nose in an attempt to stem an oncoming headache. But as his wife recited, with perfect clarity and pitch, what she had said in her Howler, Arthur found he was unable to stem the headache in any way.

"But I don't see what the big deal is," Molly said, making a dismissive gesture. "He might feel a bit out of sorts having someone take charge in his life now, but he'll thank me. He won't do anything foolish."

"He's not the one that's done something foolish, Molly!" Arthur burst out. "God, how can you be so dense for being such a smart woman? Harry Potter is no ordinary boy you can take over your knee or chastise in public, Molly! Not only is he the one who destroyed You-Know-Who as a baby, but he is the LAST HEIR of an ANCIENT AND NOBLE HOUSE! The Howler you sent can be construed by the Old Magic that governs the Houses as an insult to family honor, Molly! Go to your aunt's and wait there while I try to figure out how to keep Harry from doing anything more than he already has."

"W-What do you mean, Arthur?" stammered Molly.

"I mean, Molly, that the bond between Harry and Ginny changed this morning," Arthur replied through gritted teeth. "It's no longer just a life debt. Ginny is now an indentured servant to the House of Potter, thanks to your stupidity. Get out of my house and wait until I decide what I'm going to do with you! If you think of attacking Harry again, consider yourself no longer a member of the Weasley family. Now, go!" Arthur pointed at the fireplace and Molly, numb from the declaration of Ginny's new status as well as her husband apparently growing a backbone, did so.

Arthur stood at the sink, his head lowering as he prayed to the ancient gods for strength. He had clearly spent too much time meddling with Muggle toys and not enough time keeping an eye on his family. He needed to find Ron's letter, to see what had caused this entire debacle in the first place. A slight cough brought his attention to his third oldest. "Father, do you need me to do anything?" Percy asked.

"Contact your older brothers, get them here," Arthur said. "Don't tell them what its about, just say it's a family emergency." Percy nodded sharply and headed for the fireplace while Arthur began searching first his study then his bedroom for the letter from Ron.

_**Gringotts**_

At Gringotts, Ragnok (the bank manager as well as the General-King of the British Goblin Nation) was disturbed in his meditations by the arrival of the Ministry bird. A quick flash of a dagger removed the owl's head from its body, and he pulled the envelope from the corpse before it vanished. The Ministry had lost many birds because of their idiocy and they never learned; although Ragnok believed they simply thought they hadn't lost any birds. The Wizards were arrogant enough to believe the Goblins would never kill one of their so-called "familiars". Clearly killing the Ministry birds did no harm to the Wizards, so Ragnok and many other Goblins delighted in this distraction when they could.

Reading through the findings of the Ministry, Ragnok called Gringotts' own records department, and ordered them to verify the Ministry findings. It would not do for Gringotts to act solely on the findings of Wizards, as their methods were often faulty at best. Meanwhile, Ragnok chose to be prepared for a worst-case scenario and cracked open the Potter ledgers to make sure he could give a full accounting to the Lord-Apparent of the House of Potter.

A half an hour later, Ragnok had his answers, and he felt a chill go up his spine which he ignored. Of all the Wizarding Families that Gringotts did business with, it was the Potters and the Gaunts who made him feel the most ill-at-ease. The last two families in which flowed the blood of the Peverell Enchanters, the makers of the devices known to the foolish wizards as the Deathly Hallows, the two families were feared by Goblins due to their inclination towards radically changing the balance of power in the Wizarding World. Charlus and James Potter had done little to make waves, but that may have been because they were dealing with first Grindlewald and then Voldemort. Grindlewald had been driven mad by the pursuit of the Hallows, and Voldemort was the last Descendant of the House of Gaunt. What new horrors would the last of the House of Potter wrought upon the wizarding world? Or would he be as his ancestors, the Peverells, attempting usher in an age of enlightenment?


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

The weekend following Ginny Weasley's entrance into indentured servitude was one straight out of hell for both the young girl and her new master. The first signs of problems for them and for the school headmaster came when an eagle owl with a sharp-looking beak and set of talons landed at the Gryffindor Table during lunch time. Harry took the large parcel from the Eagle Owl and opened it, pulling out a sheet of parchment that appeared to be an explanation for the parcel.

_Dear Lord Potter-Peverell, _the letter read, _I write you on behalf of Gringotts at the moment of your ascension. A combination of your forced entrance into the wizarding competition known as the Tri-Wizard Tournament and your recent action in taking Ginevra Molly Weasley as your indentured servant has resulted in your emancipation as a minor. You are now considered a legal adult, though you will still be treated as an adolescent in certain cases due to your young age. It is advisable that you seek an attaché or seneschal to act as your vassal for the time being, as you are busy with both the Tournament and your studies. _

_Enclosed you will find a summary of your holdings and all relevant paperwork. It is charmed so only you can read it, so do not be concerned over someone attempting to alter your records. We here at Gringotts pride ourselves on the security of our clients. If you have any questions forward them to either Account Manager Griphook or myself, Bank Manager Ragnok. _

_Cordially, _

_Ragnok Headsplitter_

_Manager, Gringotts Britain_

Harry raised an eyebrow, and sifted through the paperwork, occasionally scowling or chuckling.

Finally, Hermione grew impatient and asked, "What's this, Harry? Aren't you going to tell us?" While no one would say it to her face, she was almost whining, a particularly unattractive trait no matter how you shake it.

Harry looked up and said, "It's simply some correspondence from Gringotts regarding changes to my account, Hermione. Beyond that, it is quite frankly none of your concern. You are not a member of the House of Potter, you are not even a protectorate of said House. Please do not attempt to pry into those areas that you have no business delving into."

Harry stood, packing the parcel into his book bag, and headed off, leaving Hermione once again stunned and hurt, only this time, no one came forward to speak up in her defense. Ron Weasley was no where to be seen, and it would be a few hours yet before his body was found crumpled at the base of the astronomy tower. It would later be determined that he took Harry's suggestion he kill himself to heart, though few would suspect that Harry's tone had been infused with magic when he suggested it.

Harry went to the Chamber and perused the documents in more detail. There was his parents will, and he had to wonder if his parents actually put any thought into how things would turn out. All that was listed was that his guardianship was to go to Sirius Black in the event of their death. No alternatives, no suggestions for proper housing should Sirius be unavailable. It was no wonder Dumbledore had managed to put him in the Dursleys' care. His parents had not been as prepared as he would have hoped.

The investment portfolio was rather interesting. He had stock in the Daily Prophet, though not anywhere near controlling amounts; that pleasure was for the Ministry of Magic, which was unsurprising to Harry. The Ministry had shown they didn't like to be contradicted, and the only way to ensure that was to control the press in regards to how it dealt with the Ministry. From what Harry could tell, Rita Skeeter was a wild card that was kept around simply because she was able to dig up dirt on anyone. He had no doubt that Skeeter had dirt on high-ranking Ministry officials which was the only way she continued to write for the Prophet.

What did intrigue Harry was the creature farm he was the sole investor of. Apparently his grandfather Charlus had been interested in bringing animals that would normally be unable to survive in fresh water to Hogwarts and the Wizarding World of Britain at large, and had invested in an upstart company for magically-altered animals. It had since expanded from sea life to land animals as well. Harry would have to make a note to order a catalogue from the company to see if there was any interesting currently in stock, just in case they were of use for the Tournament he had been unwillingly thrown into. He would no longer let the fear of his classmates keep him from using his talents, though his knowledge of less-than-congenial spells might be something to hide for the time being.

Finally, the parcel had included a small velvet box that held the Head of House ring for his family line. Harry placed it on his right ring finger, as required according to the letter accompanying it, and began taking a look through the benefits of wearing the ring. There were the usual benefits of being an adult: being able to use magic whenever he likes (within reason), removal of the Trace in connection to being able to use magic, being able to manage his finances or appoint someone to do so, same thing with his political power.

But the truly interesting thing was that the Head of House ring had certain protections placed upon it such as aiding in protection of the mind and keeping one from falling under the control of love potions or mild controlling spells. Such spells as the Imperius Curse would still work, and while the ring would give rudimentary shields for his mind, he would still need to learn Occlumency in full in order to prevent others from gaining access to his mind. Harry realized this was how Dumbledore always seemed to know everything, as well as how Voldemort had realized he had the Stone back in first year, which suggested one did not actually need eye contact in order to figure out if someone was lying.

Harry emerged from the Chamber in the late afternoon not because he had any particular desire to do so, but because he had noted the appearance of Arthur Weasley's name on the Marauder's Map and saw that the dots signifying both Arthur and McGonagall were making their way towards Gryffindor Tower. Utilizing a few shortcuts from the Map, Harry arrived in the corridor outside of the Tower entrance just seconds before the Professor and guest arrived in said corridor. Harry merely raised an eyebrow in greeting as Professor McGonagall said, "Mr. Potter, Arthur here would like to discuss something with you."

"Of course," Harry replied, "though considering the nature of the relations between the Houses of Potter and Weasley at the moment, I believe it would be wise if we both surrendered our wands to you, Professor, for the sake of appearances, at least." McGonagall nodded her agreement at the arrangement and took their wands before escorting them back to her office, which she ceded control of to Harry (as the Head of An Ancient and Noble House, he was the greater of the two despite Arthur's superiority in age). She cast a monitoring charm on the room to ensure the two did not enact a physical confrontation, which under the circumstances was a possibility.

Arthur stood with his back straight as he said, "Lord Potter, I recently learned of this morning's events, and I must say I am appalled at both Ron and Molly's antics and lack of foresight. I cannot begin to imagine how they thought attacking you and your house in any fashion would end well. I fear they became blinded by the fact that you've never made a big deal out of your status before, and therefore did not consider the consequences."

Harry inclined his head and said, "True, but that would require that I have been aware of my status. I only recently learned of it last year, when I was trying to find out the connection Sirius Black had with my family. The library didn't hold that information, but it did hold information on my family and their place in this world. I saw no reason to put on airs when things were already tense between Ron, Hermione, and I due to the Firebolt and Scabbers situations. However, that does not excuse your wife's actions, nor the fact that you failed to ensure she was teaching your children more than just _her_ view of proper wizarding society."

Arthur flinched, and Harry felt a small thrill of satisfaction at the reaction. Arthur was well-aware of his failings, and Harry was not going to hesitate to pour salt in the wound. "So tell me, Arthur, why you have come here," Harry said, "because I don't see any reason for our dialoguing. Other than for us to pontificate, and that's really not something either of us needs to be doing."

"I wanted to make sure you knew that the majority of the Weasley family is willing to accept you as Ginevra's overlord, despite our distaste for such practices," Arthur said. "I may be a bit rusty in the Old Ways, but I know that the magic that holds those Oaths can be petty beyond measure. But I have to ask: why did you indenture Ginny, who hadn't done anything to you? Why not simply engage in a duel with Ron?"

Harry gestured for Arthur to sit, and began to explain. "I made a deal with Professor McGonagall: anything related to school, such as conflicts with your son, would be handled by the Professors. Anything from outside school, I could handle as I saw fit. Your wife's Howler attack on myself and by association my House fell within those guidelines; now, I could have challenged Molly Weasley to a duel, but as you've said, the magic that binds the Old Ways is fickle, and would have required her death in order to be satisfied. Despite my recent disagreements with your youngest son, I did not wish to deprive your children of their mother. I knew from conversations at the Burrow and Molly's own actions that while she loves all her children, Ginny is special to her and thus the most important to her. I had had a discussion with my new House Elves the night previous about magical bonds and oaths, and therefore I had a ready-made alternative. I did not see any other alternative at the time, and the family magicks almost always demand an immediate response, as I'm sure you know as the Head of your own House, however minor it is."

Arthur had wilted throughout Harry's monologue, and could see where the young man was coming from. What had happened with Ginny was not only the result of Molly's actions, but the result of Albus Dumbledore's unwillingness to train Harry as the Heir to his House, which was required starting at the age of eleven. Arthur had questioned the maneuver, but been shot down by his overbearing wife. Unwilling to risk a messy marriage with so many children (even if two were already grown and out of the house), Arthur had conceded. Now, he was reaping the fruits of his labors; or rather, the lack of his labors.

Arthur now said, "I see your point, Lord Potter. I only ask that you do not mistreat my daughter for the sins of her mother and brother."

"As long as she does as I say without attempting to subvert me in anyways, either on her own initiative or at the request of another, you should have no problems," Harry said pleasantly. "Perhaps you should speak with her? Oh, and I will allow your family to visit my home provisionally, since Ginevra can no longer set foot in the Burrow as long as I can't. Old Magic dictates as such, and we both know that Molly, as Matriarch of your family, is able to enforce such a will and is too stubborn to admit to her mistakes."

Arthur could feel his heart breaking, and a single tear managed to escape his eye as he realized the truth of Harry's words. He had lost his daughter to his wife's impulsive desire to air her opinions in public, and now their family would be much less brighter because of it. Molly and he would be having a long talk; he was the Head of House Weasley, what little was left of it. They might have many family members, but their political and financial prowess had been destroyed by the Head of Magical Law Enforcement during the War with Grindlewald, Abraxas Malfoy.

That was the source of the Malfoy-Weasley feud; Arthur continued it with Lucius not out of family pride, but out of the knowledge that the son of a former DMLE head had contributed to a war that made Grindlewald look like a puppet as far as Britain was concerned. Europe itself had had more problems with Grindlewald, while Britain had been touched only briefly before Dumbledore had intervened.

Arthur said, "As an effort to begin making it up to you, I wanted to pass a message along from my son Charlie. The British Ministry recently asked the Romanian Dragon Preserve to supply four dragons for the TriWizard Tournament. They specifically requested nesting mothers."

"Anything else?" asked Harry.

"No, Lord Potter," Arthur replied.

"Then I believe our meeting is concluded," Harry stated, and left the room, retrieving his wand from the waiting McGonagall, and headed for the Owlery, retrieving a handful of letters he had written while in the Chamber. He had some messages to send, some good, some bad, depending on your point of view. Certain individuals were about to learn that messing with the last of the Potter family was unhealthy for your livelihood.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Across Britain and even into other countries such as France, Germany, and America, individuals were being accosted or woken up by owls with missives from the Head of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Potter. For some, it was merely an affirmation of old ties; breweries, broomstick manufacturers, and political allies found themselves cracking open a bottle of wine to toast to the renewed alliance or support of the House of Potter to their businesses and political methodologies. James Potter had been too busy in his work as a member of the Order of the Phoenix to renew old ties, and the only time had gotten involved in politics was as an ally of Albus Dumbledore, whom many of the old allies of the House of Potter believed had created a sort of cult following at Hogwarts since he had begun as headmaster.

This was the reason many Lycans did not trust Remus Lupin over Fenrir Greyback, despite Lupin's more intelligent and enlightened outlook on how to move their society forward: Lupin was the only person with their affliction ever allowed to attend Hogwarts since the deaths of the Founders, despite his family's relative low position in Wizarding Society. Many who had been bitten by the same man were from families of a higher status but were turned down by Dumbledore's administration at Hogwarts. It had fueled a deep-seated hatred in the Lycan community for the headmaster and his pet Werewolf.

Fenrir Greyback had once been a political advocate for Lycan rights, and it had been the final insult from Romulus Lupin, Remus's father, that had driven him to bite the young boy. After that one incident, Fenrir had chosen to continue the practice. If Lupin truly wanted to change things, he had to do but one thing: challenge Greyback and take his place as Alpha, but he would never do so as in order to challenge an Alpha and take their place, one had to accept the wolf. It was why Lupin was considered a Werewolf rather than a Lycan. If he accepted himself as both a person and a wolf, he would be a Lycan, capable of controlling the wolf during the full moon. It was how Greyback was able to control himself in order to bite his targeted victims, as he refused to use such means as the Wolfsbane Potion. He had declared it a poison, that it would slowly kill Lycans over time if they were to drink it. No one had bothered to research his claims, believing they were merely the meanderings of a half-insane Werewolf who enjoyed the taste of human flesh rather than the knowledge of a powerful and quite-sane Lycan. The desire for human flesh was a side effect of accepting ones wolf side, but what many did not realize was that the Lycan community mainly went after vagrants from the Muggle world, or even criminals; those no one would miss.

But the other missives Harry had sent would become cause for concern for a few people. Book publishers received letters from Gringotts acting as Harry's attorneys, the letters informing the publishers they were being brought up on charges of war profiteering and exploitation of a minor. The publishers in question had published a number of children's storybooks about Harry; while Harry wouldn't have cared one whit, he did care about the fact that the Potter coffers had not received any percentage of the profits, which were great. Gringotts had included a proviso that the publishers could settle out of court with the Potter Estate if they desired. Unsurprisingly, they obliged.

The Muggle firm Grunnings found itself mired in a corruption scandal due to the antics of one Vernon Dursley, who had embezzled funds from not only his own company, but from the Potter Estate, which was a shareholder in Grunnings. While not a major shareholder, the knowledge that he had done so willingly (for he had been informed by James Potter that Lily had requested the Potter Estate invest in Grunnings as an attempt to make peace between the Potter and Dursley families following the deaths of Henry and Diana Evans) was causing problems for the company, as the money embezzled from the Potter Estate had been meant to help them with Harry's upkeep. Instead, they had pampered themselves and their son, lived beyond their means, and now both the Dursleys and the company Vernon worked for would find themselves scrabbling to save their profits as investors began to pull out.

Most surprising for all was that Hogwarts and the Ministry of Magic had received hits as well. It appeared that the Potter family had a long-standing tradition of helping to fund departments in need, as well as organizing job opportunities for those who were not as well connected as some of their peers. Funding meant for the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and its subsidiaries, including the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office, had instead been funneled into accounts at Gringotts that, after some digging, were found to belong to Cornelius Oswald Fudge, Dolores Jane Umbridge, Tiberius Ogden, and Albus Dumbledore.

The funds going to Fudge and Umbridge were then split to go to various charities that never did anything, while some of it went to the Malfoy family as reparation for the stain on their honor that came from the "mock trial" where Malfoy Sr. was eventually acquitted of being a Death Eater. Umbridge's funds were also found to have funded a small band of wizardng mercenaries responsible for killing those she found distasteful, from Centaurs and Lycans to Muggleborns who challenged the status quo. The funds from Tiberius Ogden's and Dumbledore's accounts did go to Ministry resources, but only half went to where they should have. The other half went into a secondary account jointly controlled by Dumbledore and Ogden that was listed as a fund for an organization known as the Order of the Phoenix. This was apparently due to a written agreement from James Potter, signed two days before his death on October 31, 1981.

As for Hogwarts, it was found that the scholarship fund had been depleted because funding for Hogwarts had dried up after the War, and Dumbledore had used the scholarship fund for purposes such as getting supplies for the teachers and paying Filch's salary. He had continued to do this even after the funding for Hogwarts had been replenished by a fund set up by the Founders themselves which the Goblins were able to activate after Voldemort fell. Voldemort had, as the Heir of Slytherin, been able to gain control over the account. While unable to withdraw any money from it, he was able to freeze the account in question. With his fall, the account had been released.

Gringotts, at Harry's request, had informed the Headmaster they were required to audit the funds to ensure they were being used properly, and the Headmaster had done all he could to block it, to no avail. The results were staggering, and the Headmaster would find himself a very poor man very soon. But the worst fate rested with the Potions Master of Hogwarts. It was discovered, in the audit, that the Potions Master had requested several expensive ingredients be purchased via Hogwarts for his own brewing pleasure rather than to teach the students of Hogwarts the craft. Severus Snape was now on probation, stripped of all his Head of House and disciplinary powers due to foreknowledge that he would likely seek retribution from the Head of House Potter, and required to continue teaching but with a second teacher present. After some persuasion, Horace Slughorn was brought out of retirement.

_**Chamber of Secrets**_

Harry glanced around the chamber, nodding in approval. The remodeling effort he and his house-elves had put into making this place more habitable had paid off. The statue of Salazar Slytherin had been demolished, and a blazing symbol of Hogwarts unity erected in its place, topped with a phoenix clutching the crest and a basilisk curled at the bottom. The Phoenix and Basilisk additions were due to the fight that this Chamber had been party to a year a half ago. It was now Halloween, and Harry had taken delivery of a shipment from the exotic creatures farm his grandfather had invested in. He was now the proud master of a pair of magically-altered anacondas, who had responded to his status as a Parselmouth in the manner he had expected; that is, they had sworn their allegiance to him. The alterations on the anacondas were that they could shrink themselves to the size of a garden snake or grow to the size of the basilisk.

Harry had also, for pure amusement, purchased a "fleet" of magically-altered sharks; to be specific, they were cookie cutter sharks, one of the only species that swam in a school like other sea life did. Unlike piranhas, cookie cutters took their time, and that was something Harry found interesting. He had decided to study them, having long since believed sharks were amongst nature's own brand of "serial killers". He knew that the way he had begun to see the world was considered unnatural, and that serial killers were probably the closest thing to his mentality. Surprisingly, he wasn't repulsed by it, which suggested just how much he had changed over the past year, and just how much he kept hidden from the world nowadays.

Harry had managed to learn through careful bribery and the use of the Goblins as an intermediary what exactly the First Task entailed. He was to retrieve a Golden Egg, which explained the reasoning for Nesting Mothers as the Dragons chosen. It was one of the reasons he had chosen to purchase the Anacondas. The First Task was a test of one's magical strength and capabilities. He knew that some would simply use transfiguration or charms or defense. Harry would still have to use magic to get to the nest, but he had found a loophole. He was only allowed his wand as far as weapons went, but there was no TriWizard bi-law regarding the use of familiars in the task. And as a Parselmouth, he could consider any serpent as a familiar if they'd been in his company or custody for longer than a couple of days. By the time the task rolled around, the Anacondas (Juan and Alejandro, as they called themselves) would have been in his custody for well over two weeks.

Glancing at the clock he had affixed to the wall, Harry noted it was now nearing breakfast time. He had taken to staying in the Chamber since becoming a Champion, and when confronted by the headmaster and Professor McGonagall, had pointed out that the Chamber was not technically a part of the school anymore and that Hogwarts could only have one champion; therefore, he was required to sleep elsewhere, regardless of attending classes since the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang students occasionally attended classes at Hogwarts as well to get an idea of how the British education system worked. Harry had heard the French whore, as he called her in his head, disparage everything about Hogwarts, but Harry knew very well that Beauxbatons was actually worse off, educationally-speaking. So he was quite put out with the French whore, and he intended to make her pay before the Tournament was over.

Harry continued mulling over his dark thoughts as he exited Myrtle's bathroom and headed for the Great Hall. As he rounded a corner, he collided with someone coming from the opposite direction, which happened to lead to Gryffindor Tower. "Watch where you're going!" snapped a high voice, and Harry looked to where it came from, on the gorund. He had managed to stay upright while the person he crashed into had been sent tripping backwards, her bookbag flying.

Harry tilted his head as he studied the girl; in the few moments he was silent, he took in everything he could about her. She had hair the same shade as his, an light tan to her complexion, and brown eyes that were currently glaring at him. Despite the Hogwarts uniform, Harry could tell she had quite the athletic figure. He could confirm that when she used her right leg to kick him, inadvertently pushing the uniform skirt up her leg to further expose her thigh. Harry snapped out of it and held out a hand, which the girl grudgingly took. "Sorry about that," he said, stooping down to gather the girls things as well as cast a surreptitious look at her body again without her realizing it, "I had my head in the clouds." He stood, pausing, and recognized her as one of Hermione's roommates, though he didn't know exactly who she was. "I don't think we've been properly introduced. I'm Harry Potter, Ms. . . .?" He trailed off expectantly.

"Romilda, Romilda Vane," the girl said, her bad attitude vanishing upon realizing exactly who she had crashed into. If she played this just right, she would certainly have something to brag about when it came time to visit home again. "I'm a roommate of Hermione's?"

"Quite right," Harry replied, and gave a formal bow, bestowing a gentle kiss on Romilda's knuckles, causing the nearly-fifteen-year-old girl to blush. "It's a pleasure to meet you officially, my lady. I presume you're on your way to the Great Hall?" At Romilda's nod, he said, "Than allow me to escort you. It's the least I can do for inconveniencing you." Some might consider the charm he was laying down to be a bit much, but the girl was clearly flattered at the attention, which was what Harry had hoped for. If he managed to work it right, the girl would find herself satisfying him in more ways than one.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

The day of the First Task had arrived, and Harry was receiving a good luck snog session from Romilda, who had become a constant companion since their incidental meeting on Halloween. Of course, a few times Harry had considered looking into seeing if human sacrifices were allowed during the Tournament, as he could imagine Romilda would be quite the distraction for a dragon, before remembering that it was only male dragons that were attracted to maiden sacrifices, and that the act had fallen out of practice with the fall of Camelot to Lady Morgana, the half-sister of Arthur, and her lover Mordred of the Druids. Too bad; but then, it'd be nice to deal with her in a more personable fashion anyways.

Parting ways with Romilda, Harry returned to the Chamber briefly (he had never allowed Romilda entry, planning for the only time she would enter to be the time she was to never leave) to fetch Juan and Alejandro, who slid up his sleeves until it was time for their grand appearance, as they liked to call it. Harry wondered if the magic alterations had caused the snakes to have delusions of grandeur, of if snakes were simply grandiose by nature and that was why the password to open Salazar's statue had been as such, since it was spoken in the language of the serpents.

Harry was met by Professor McGonagall in the Entrance Hall. At his inquiring look, she said, "I'm here to escort you down to the Champions' tent." Harry nodded his acquiescence, and the two set off across the grounds. As they walked, Professor McGonagall asked rather abruptly, "Are you prepared, Harry?" It was one of the first times she had used his name without sounding the stern teacher; rather, she sounded the part of concerned guardian. As Harry had heard that Professor Vector had been promoted to Deputy Headmaster, he realized that McGonagall technically was his guardian at Hogwarts now (despite his emancipation).

"I'm prepared, Professor," Harry said, then, deciding to have a bit of fun, said, "Let's just say I've got a couple of tricks up my sleeves for the dragon."

"You know about the dragon?" McGonagall asked, surprised.

"Known about the entire task for over two weeks, Professor," Harry replied, "just like I'm sure the other Champions have." McGonagall pursed her lips, but could not deny the claim her student made. She was well-aware of how Karkaroff and Maxime learned about the dragons, while Cedric was informed straight-out by his Head of House. Admittedly, Pomona had waited until last week to inform the boy, but that was not the fault of Potter; it was, in fact, the fault of Albus for somehow believing the other School Heads would honor the pact to keep the tasks secret. She had finally taken it upon herself to prevail upon Pomona the dire nature of the task and urge her to inform Cedric. She only hoped the poor boy was ready.

Inside the tent, Harry found the other Champions, the Heads, and Mr. Crouch waiting quietly, while the excitable Ludo Bagman was bouncing on the balls of his feet like a Muggle schoolgirl waiting for her date at the prom. Professor McGonagall was acting as 'Head' of the 'fourth school' so that Harry had someone to stand for him, considering the recent legal problems between one of her favorite students and the Hogwarts headmaster.

"Ah, and here's the final champion!" exclaimed Bagman, and a flash from the camera revealed the presence of another, less-than-pleasant subset of humanity: journalists. "Harry, this is Rita Skeeter, a writer for the _Daily Prophet_. She is going to be covering the Tasks for Britain's paper. We also have representatives from other Wizarding papers who are already in the stands."

Harry raised an eyebrow and said, "Then why is she allowed in the tent? Does the Ministry have a deal with the Prophet that they get an exclusive look at the Champions' reactions before and after the Tasks?" Harry was amused to see that Dumbledore, Crouch, and Bagman looked uncomfortable at this. No one wanted to say for the record that the Ministry had only admitted the other journalists' due to international pressure after Harry took his position as Head of House Potter. Harry was already well-aware of this fact, and was merely rubbing salt in the wound. The Ministry of Magic had found itself mired by countless international difficulties since Harry's ascension, and while Harry only had a minimal part in it all (his international allies being the main thrust behind the recent troubles for Magical Britain), the Ministry was now wary of doing anything that could cause more problems, believing Harry (being a teenager) would be petty enough to go after them for the smallest of reasons.

Crouch cleared his throat and said, "Lord Potter has a point. Ms Skeeter, you will gain access to the champions in the same fashion as every other reporter. Please depart the Champions tent at once, and do not attempt to use any method of covert surveillance. Madam Bones had her best Aurors ward the tent after an anonymous source suggested that the tent would be a prime target for unscrupulous individuals looking to cause mayhem at a second international incident, pointing out the troubles at the QWC as an example. Of course, if they had backtracked the tip they would have found it came from Hogwarts and a certain young noble.

Skeeter departed, in a rather foul mood, and Harry made a note to take a look at tomorrow's paper to see if she was foolish enough to test him. He may not be completely caught up in all the subtleties of being the Head of a Most Ancient and Noble House, but he did know enough about dealing with those who would slander him and through him his family's name and honor. Tomorrow would either see nothing out of the ordinary, or an explosive confrontation that would see the Ministry's control of the Daily Prophet destroyed, since they were incapable of handling a single reporter.

Crouch cleared his throat once the tent was cleared of all but the Champions, Judges, and McGonagall. "The First Task is a test of your magical prowess and endurance," he said shortly. "There are four nesting dragons, guarding a clutch of eggs. In each clutch is a golden egg; your goal is to retrieve this egg, as it contains an egg within which is a clue you cannot hope to proceed through the Tournament without." Crouch produced a draw-string bag from within his robes. "Within are representations of the dragons you will face; you will each choose one, and the number around their necks shall represent the order in which you shall face them."

Slowly, the champions chose their dragons, and it laid out thus: Cedric received a Swedish Shortsnout, with the number 1; Krum found himself facing down a Chinese Fireball with the number 3; Fleur Delacour was granted the Welsh Green, with a number 2; and Harry's rather loathsome karma kicked in once again as he found himself bringing out a scale model of a Hungarian Horntail, one of the most vicious dragons in the world, with a number 4 around its neck.

Crouch nodded sharply and said, "Well, then, we shall give you a few minutes to prepare before Mr. Diggory is expected. Wait for the signal before entering the arena." He paused, and glanced around at the young people. "Good luck, to all of you." The unspoken words "You'll need it" were implied, if only by the adolescent minds of the contenders.

Harry wondered if there was some sadistic force at work, then realized there was, and that force was the Ministry of Magic. Anyone who thought pitting teenagers against female dragons protecting their nest was a good test of magical prowess and endurance was a sadist of the highest order. Coming from someone who was fast becoming a sadist of his own brand, this was quite the compliment, or perhaps insult, depending on how you looked at it. Of course, that meant the next two tasks were likely to be just as if not more dangerous, which would make some of Harry's contingency plans more easy to utilize.

Despite his words in the aftermath of the Champion Selection, Harry had begun to think of how to show the people who still sneered behind his back at the idea of a fourth year competing with wizards and a witch who were of age that he was better; he had found a trove of knowledge in the Chamber during its reconstruction, Old Magic that had long since been lost to time as well as books informing on how to perform such acts of magic as the Unforgiveables and Fiendfyre; there was also a book of rituals he had located, printed in the 1500s, that had piqued his interest. He had considered using some of those rituals, but held off on it for now as he wanted to be fully-prepared for the First Task and there was no telling how harsh the rituals would be on his body.

Besides, he had found it amusing how people had reacted to the Dark Mark at the QWC and wanted to stir the pot even further, so to speak. The TriWizard Tournament was providing a very powerful stage for that possibility; the greatest part would be that the ones at fault would only ever be considered to be the Heads of the three schools, as they had a definite say in how the Tournament was set up and what tasks the contenders would face. Harry looked forward to seeing the most prestigious of various communities being ripped to shreds, metaphorically speaking, when things went awry.

Cedric, Fleur, and Viktor departed the tent at their separate signals, and Harry listened with half an ear as the other Champions sought to attain that golden egg. As Viktor departed, he found himself comfortable enough to speak to his Anacondas. "_Are you ready?_" he hissed.

"_We are, Master,_" Alejandro hissed, "_but remember that it will take us time to gain the size necessary to bind the Horntail. You must distract her until we are ready._"

"_How long will it take?_"

"_At least five minutes, Master, maybe more,_" Juan replied, somehow appearing nonchalant about the entire thing. Harry reminded himself to make sure the snake found himself deprived of his favored snacks for a week.

A round of applause signaled the end of Viktor's bout, and Harry prepared himself, running the various Parseltongue phrases he had learned could be used as spells through his mind. Parselmagic was not like regular magic, where you utilized words based in Latin or Greek or Saxon to command the magic what to do; with Parselmagic, you said what you wanted, but had to be sure of your intent in order for the magic to respond. You also had to visualize what you wanted done in order to ensure it was conjured properly.

At the signal from the Judges, Harry entered the arena and with a near-silent hiss sent his serpents to the ground in order to prepare themselves to confront the Horntail. Harry raised his wand, and evoked, "Protego Aguamentus!" A variation of the shield charm from Salazar Slytherin's personal notations, it was designed specifically for confronting dragons; in the Founders' time, it had still been a common practice for dragons to seize young women, Muggle or Magical; however, it was not so complicated as the young women being sacrificed. The dragons merely enjoyed the taste of human flesh in those times, and at the time women were not valued as highly as men. Since that time, things had changed and dragons were no longer capable of doing such actions; despite their status as beast, they were able to recognize what happened when they sought out a human to kill. Magicals had destroyed a fair dozen dragon colonies in the 1700s, before the dragon preserves were set up.

A snort of fire came at Harry, and dissipated against the shield. Harry waved his wand at the boulders that were scattered around the arena (supposedly to be used as cover by the Champions) and hissed, "_Assemble_," picturing in his mind's eye what he wanted the boulders to come together to form. Slowly, they formed into a figure that was roughly Hagrid's size in height, composed completely of boulders. A blinding flash of light emitted from the assembled boulders, and when it cleared, the spectators were amazed to see a fully-formed Stone Golem, a long-lost art. It had been lost because the key element required was Parseltongue, and after Salazar Slytherin's bloodline had continued to perpetuate his blood purity speil, culminating in men like Voldemort every few decades, the Wizarding World had eventually wiped out most of Salazar's bloodline, leaving only the Gaunt family. Those who had led the attack were long-dead, and the people of the wizarding world, primarily the Ministry which had been formed _after_ the attack on the Slytherin Compound, did not hold as much hatred towards Parselmouths until Voldemort's reign of terror. Now, Harry had a chance to change that, and change it he would.

"Attack," Harry commanded, jabbing his wand towards the dragon. The Stone Golem lumbered forward and sent the dragon to its knees with a ground-pounding punch, causing the ground in the localized area surrounding the Golem and the dragon to shake. The Golem took advantage of the dragon's imbalance and slammed one heavy stone fist down on its neck. This did not kill the dragon nor shatter its bones as it would have with any other magical creature, but it did shatter the protective shell of scales that kept the dragon's neck safe.

The Horntail retaliated, its tail whipping out and catching the Golem behind the "knees", sweeping its legs out from under it. The dragon leaped upon the Golem and proceeded to pour flames out from its mouth, the extreme heat and intensity of the flames quickly deteriorating the stone and turning it into a more glass-like substance, which the dragon easily shattered. But this had bought the Anacondas the time they needed to each the proper size, and with a single gesture from Harry, the Anacondas revealed themselves, wrapping around the Horntail together and dragging it away from its nest.

Juan, ever the opportunist of the duo, sunk his fangs into the dragon to inject his poison, only to recoil, having learned the hard way that a dragon cannot be poisoned by a mere Anaconda, no matter how magically-enhanced. The opportunistic snake's fangs had been utterly ruined by the fiery blood of the dragon, and so he doubled his efforts to utterly ruin the dragon's other capabilities by constricting his body around the dragon's torso, grinding the armor plating.

Harry, seeing the dragon all but immobilized, kept the shield up just in case the dragon managed to break free from Alejandro's coils, which were wrapped tightly around its jaws. The look the Horntail was giving Harry was anything but pleasant; it was a true look of absolute mayhem and a desire to have a young wizard, namely Harry, as a teething toy for her children. Why was it that the big magical creatures all loathed him like this? Did he have some kind of neon sign above him that said, "Target for Class 5 and above beasts; can be served raw or lightly cooked by purchaser!" Fluffy, Aragog's brats, the Basilisk, Dementors (though technically they only wanted his soul, not his body), Lupin, and now the bloody Horntail!

Harry retrieved the egg, moved back towards the entrance, and waited for the judges to actually react. He hissed out the command for Juan and Alejandro to return to him. The snakes did so, and a massive field of stunners struck the Horntail even as she puffed up, ready to spew a jet of fire at the insolent young wizard that had toyed with her.

Bagman cleared his throat and said, "Well, I must say this has been the most amazing display of magical prowess I've seen in my days. Young Harry Potter, considered by many to be the underdog of this tournament, has shown a masterful command over the art of Parselmagic, once used solely by the line of Slytherin but apparently young Mister Potter has gained that talent. His Stone Golem allowed his primary attack time to prepare, and even then it was simply to distract and subdue his dragon while he retrieved the prize without destroying any of the eggs, though I suspect some may have been damaged. We will know that for sure momentarily." A few moments passed as a silver something shot up to the announcer's box and there was a distant mumbling. "According to our dragon handlers, only one egg was damaged by the Golem's attacks, and only lightly. The egg has already been mended and the dragon within is expected to make a full recovery. Now, for Mr. Potter's marks."

The Ministry representatives went first, shooting a 10 (Bagman) and a 7 (Crouch) into the air. Harry suspected Crouch's score was because he had used Parselmagic, and Crouch was one of those absolutists. He had learned about the man on his own and heard rumors about his antics during the last years of the war. He believed the man truly didn't realize he was as Dark as those he claimed to hate, having authorized the use of the Unforgiveables and other Dark Arts in order to take down Death Eaters. Not that Harry disagreed with the action; he simply thought the man had to have a case of split personality in order to stay sane. It didn't help that, apparently, his own son had become a Death Eater due to his father's obsession with appearing perfect. In a way, it reminded Harry of Vernon and Dudley, only Dudley was actually encouraged in his sadistic tendencies by Vernon rather than admonished for them.

Karkaroff surprised many by giving Harry a 9, no doubt again due to Parselmagic but also not wanting to give Harry a score equal to his own Champion, who had been given a 10. Madam Maxime shot a figure 8 out of her wand, and Harry found himself amused since both she and her champion were considered less-than-human and yet she was showing bias against him for being a Parselmouth. The possibility that their scores had more to do with the light damage to an egg and to the dragon (who would take some time to heal), as he considered the injuries to the dragon and damage to the egg inconsequential; after all, they were no more than creatures, and with the preserves being run, easily replaced.

Now, Dumbledore's turn had arrived. He had been watching Harry with a calculating expression since he had first used Parselmagic, considering the pro's and cons of awarding high or low points. However, if Dumbledore was anything, it was a consummate politician. He could tell, from the expression on the face of the Minister of Magic (Cornelius Fudge having just barely held onto his job after the onslaught from House Potter and its allies) that to score Harry low as an admonition would not do. Fudge was adamant on getting on the boy's good side, a feat that would be near-impossible if the boy believed Dumbledore was acting out of spite for the events following his ascension to the Head of House Potter. Dumbledore would simply have to speak to Harry later on, in private, in order to convey his disappointment. A large number 10 shot out, and Harry allowed a small smile to cross his face, glad the Headmaster was not allowing personal views to paint his professionalism for the moment.

"Well, ladies and gentlemen, the First Task ends with our youngest champion in the lead, followed by Mr. Krum of Durmstrang, Ms. Delacour of Beauxbatons, and Mr. Diggory of Hogwarts. The Second Task will begin February 24."

Harry had not received any injuries and was thus able to avoid the Napoleonic reach of Madam Pomfrey, who looked almost disappointed at not being able to shove foul-smelling and 'tasting concoctions (the worst of Snape's brewings, Harry was certain) down his throat.

A rustle of robes and a bright array of stars and moons announced Dumbledore's presence alongside Harry, who nodded and said, "Headmaster. What can I do for you?" Due to the intense starign match between the two, the water beetle crawling up Harry's robes and sitting atop the dragonhide boot he wore went unnoticed. Rita Skeeter wondered if perhaps Harry's prowess with magic came from private tutoring from the headmaster, and knew that the only way would be to listen in on conversations between the two.

Dumbledore smiled down at his pupil, though the smile didn't quite reach his eyes as it normally did. "Ah, I was wondering if we could have a quick discussion about your tactics in my office, Harry." Many would have mistaken it as a simple query, but Harry could see it was not a request, but a command. Giving a nod of acquiescence, Harry followed Dumbledore along the grounds and up into the castle. Upon reaching the gargoyle in front of his office, Dumbledore said cheerfully, "Chocolate Frogs," and the door opened. Harry resisted the urge to roll his eyes while Rita Skeeter wondered if she could work this into an article about the old man becoming senile. Who used the names of sweets to guard one of the most coveted offices in the country?

Taking their seats (with Rita scuttling off under the second seat in order avoid notice), Dumbledore settled in and steepled his fingers together. "Harry, I have to say, I am disappointed in your actions today."

Harry blinked while Rita herself felt shock course through her veins. Harry voiced what she herself thought. "You mean, sir, that you would rather I had been severely injured or died during the Task?" Harry gave the old man a withering look. "I thought killing me was supposed to be Voldemort's job, not yours, sir." The old man gave a barely contained flinch, and Harry smiled in satisfaction at the point he had scored. He didn't think there was anything else to it; Rita, on the other hand, had other senses at the moment and could feel the sense of alarm from Dumbledore. She vowed to dig further and find out what the old man was hiding.

Dumbledore said, "That is not what I mean, Harry, and I am certain that you know that. I am speaking of your use of Parselmagic in such a blatant manner. I had thought after your second year that you would have desired to be as separate from Voldemort as possible."

"That was two years ago, Professor," Harry pointed out. "Things have changed, I've changed. This Tournament has ensured that the only way I'm going to live through this year without either dying or losing my magic, which will probably kill me anyways according to what you told me the night of the Selection, I have to use all powers at my disposal. So I went back to the Chamber and found the knowledge that had been collected there over the centuries, including how to use Parselmagic. Voldemort may have given me these powers, but I will use them how _I_ see fit, not Him, and not you. Besides, the way things have been my entire school career, I ought to be sure I'm ready for whatever hell you and Voldemort decide to inflict on us next year."

Dumbledore objected, "Now, Harry, I know your school career has hardly been conventional, but that's a bit far to go. Hogwarts is still one of the safest places in the Wizarding World."

Harry let out a scathing laugh. "Headmaster, that was one of the first things Hagrid told me about Hogwarts when he came and got me from the Dursleys. And yet, since I've arrived here, I've nearly died three times every year, if not more. First year it was trolls, three-headed dogs, useless traps, Voldemort possessing Quirrell, and detentions in the Forbidden Forest; second year, it was basilisks, acromantulas, and diaries possessing students; third year, we had dementors all around us, a traitor in our midst, and when we finally manage to catch the true traitor, things go to hell because of that bastard Snape and Lupin forgetting to take his potion. He can at least be forgiven, since it was a shock seeing Peter Pettigrew alive; and now this year, we've got this bloody tournament. Of all those things, the only one that doesn't endanger every single student has been this tournament."

Harry stopped his vitriolic speech and stood there, chest heaving. After a few moments of watching the old man crumble inward, he sneered, "So, forgive me if I think you're a senile old fool for believing Hogwarts is safe. I will use everything within my power, Light or Dark, to ensure I survive, Headmaster. Voldemort isn't going to be defeated with _Expelliarmus_ or _Stupefy_, but with his own medicine. Parselmagic, Fiendfyre, the Unforgiveables; whatever I have to do to survive, I will do it, and not just for this tournament, but for as long as you and Voldemort are intent on destroying my life."

"Harry, you do not need destructive spellwork and tactics to defeat Tom," Dumbledore replied. "I told you in your first year how your mother defeated him, and how you will defeat him should that time ever come. Love, Harry. Love is how you defeat a being like Tom Riddle."

Harry stared incredulously before letting out a small burst of laughter. "Telling that to an eleven year old was fine, headmaster," said Harry, still smiling in cold amusement. "Every child whose ever been abused and been told lies about their parents want to hear their parents truly did love them and were not drunkards who got themselves killed. But I've since learned about the War and a lot of what happened. Mum wasn't the only witch to cast herself before her children to protect them from the Death Eaters and Tom. So why was hers the only one that worked? The answer is obvious, headmaster. She did something else. Yes, out of love, but it was magic, pure and simple, and likely Old Magic of the likes you have no comprehension, and nor do I. My mother was among the brightest witches this school has ever seen, just like Tom Riddle. My mother defeated Voldemort, not me, not love, but my mother and her absolute genius. You've painted me as a symbol, Headmaster, but now that I'm thinking for myself you want to yank me into your delusions of how Voldemort can finally be destroyed. Well, tough luck, headmaster. Next time you see Tom, why don't you try giving him a big hug and a kiss on the lips instead of brandishing your wand? Or why not do both?" Harry allowed a small smile to form.

The Headmaster blinked and for a moment sat there in a stupor. Than he rose, and roared, "GET OUT! GET OUT AND DON'T COME UNLESS I CALL FOR YOU!"

"Gladly," Harry said, and left, again not noticing as Skeeter climbed atop his boot. After his departure from the office, she scampered off and transformed back, calling after him. He turned, and raised an eyebrow. "Where did you come from?"

"Oh, we all have our secrets, Mr. Potter," Skeeter said, giving him a slight wink that was probably mean to be flirtatious, "and I couldn't help but notice that you were pulling out a few secrets that the Headmaster's been keeping hidden from all of us. Perhaps you would care to comment, set the record straight on a few things?" While Rita would love to have gone after Harry just for reactions' sake, it was different. Most of the politicians in the Wizarding World were just that, politicians, elected officials. Even someone such as the Malfoy family were not in the same position as Harry, though they might be able to claim the Black seat if no one else did. If she went after Harry when he was fully-aware of his rights, she wouldn't be able to stop the onslaught, as shown by the Ministry and Hogwarts' blunders in regards to the House of Potter's generosity.

Harry, for his part, was almost repulsed by the idea, but then he considered it. He would be able to show people at Hogwarts what had really been going on, none of the sensational bullshit the likes of Parvati, Lavender, the Hufflepuffs, and Cho Chang and her gaggle of idjits liked to spread, but the true occurrences. That, and the fact that Rita Skeeter was a wildly popular writer and widely-believed would ensure most would consider what she printed as gospel. Better it was Harry's version of events rather than Dumbledore's rose garden version.

"I think so," Harry said, "But let's move this to a more private arena. Tell me, Ms. Skeeter, have you ever heard of the Chamber of Secrets?"


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

_**First Article**_

The morning after the First Task, which had not been covered by Wizarding Radio due to the fact that the Ministries of the contending nations did not want to give any of their constituents advantage (which was one reason foreign newspaper agents were now allowed to attend), the _Daily Prophet_ began arriving in wizarding homes across the country, and in a handful of Muggle homes as well; among those homes was that of the Drs. Granger and Jonas Creevey, who had heard of little regarding Hogwarts from their children. But we shall get to them later. First, we travel to Wiltshire and the home of the proud Malfoy family.

Lucius Malfoy was sipping a cup of hot Earl Grey tea as the Prophet owl arrived. His wife, Narcissa, a lovely woman despite the inbreeding of her family (Lucius' own had ensured to never marry a cousin who was closer than third, unlike Narcissa's aunt and uncle who had been 1st cousins), was pouring over paperwork from the new charity they had set up which would be required to actually do something. The damage done to the Malfoy fortune during the return of the House of Potter had been truly horrendous, but they had managed to rebuild much of their fortune by cashing in a few investments. If it caused a few upstart companies to go bankrupt, what concern was it of theirs as long as their fortune had returned to its official status?

The new charity was one Narcissa had suggested doing before to further distance their name from the ideal of the Death Eaters, and after the House of Potter's devastation of many high-powered wizards and witches, Lucius had agreed in the hopes that the Potter boy would not seek to destroy them further; after all, if he did, the boy would not only destroy the Malfoy family but those he championed. Lucius had to admit he hadn't considered the benefits until it became obvious. He prided himself on being cunning and ambitious, the epitome of Slytherin house, but he had balked because it wasn't in line with his personal politics. But since when had charities had anything to do with someone's personal politics? All a charity was to someone like Lucius was a way to appear good and wholesome, regardless of his personal view on the matter.

The charity in question would supply books and other educational materials regarding the wizarding world to incoming Muggleborns to help them better navigate the world. Lucius had to admit, it would help decrease the number of irritations like Penelope Clearwater and Hermione Granger; Clearwater had bellowed quite loudly about the prejudice of the Ministry when she was turned down for Percy Weasley, who despite his family's rather sordid past had risen to become one of the most ambitious of the new generation. Though Lucius would not admit it aloud, he quite believed Percival could be the one who would end the feud between the Malfoy and Weasley families, as he did not let such things get in the way of his ambitions, an almost Slytherin trait. As for Hermione Granger, Lucius had heard about her quite a bit from his son. Draco was not the consummate Slytherin that Lucius was, but he had noted that he rarely used the derogatory term "Mudblood" against anyone but Hermione Granger and on occasion a mousy-boy (Draco's description) who followed Harry Potter like a lost dog, by the name of Colin Creevey.

With the subscription already paid for in advance (Lucius refused to hand money to the living feather-dusters the Prophet used like some plebian), Lucius unfurled the paper and allowed the headline to reveal itself to him. He raised an intrigued eyebrow at the headline, and read:

_**Potter's Cunning Enchantments**_

_**By**_

_**Rita Skeeter, Special Correspondent**_

_Harry Potter, age 14, the youngest Head of An Ancient and Noble House since Merlin himself (who reformed House Arkain into House Emrys at the age of 16, prior to his training under Queen Mab and his rise as the Court-Sorcerer of Camelot), showed that he's more than just a famous name and a hand-puppet for the Headmaster of Hogwarts, as many in our society have believed for so long, due to the Headmaster's rather odd protectiveness of the Boy-Who-Lived. _

_Yesterday was the First Task of the TriWizard Tournament, a competition which Potter has been forced into (confirmed the day after the Champion Selection by Lord Potter declaring a Wizard's Oath to that effect), and the task was finally revealed to the gathered spectators and Ministry officials. The Champions were required to maneuver past a nesting dragon of varying breeds and retrieve a Golden Egg, said to house an important clue as to the nature of the Second Task. _

_First up was Cedric Diggory, the 'True' Hogwarts Champion as Lord Potter has insisted that he be called. Mr. Diggory used an impressive transfiguration spell to distract the dragon and managed to get the egg; the dragon, a Swedish Short Snout, realized his deception and managed to burn him briefly before being subdued by Dragon Handlers. _

_Next came the Champion of Beauxbatons, Fleur Delacour, an alluring beauty known to be a quarter-Veela through her mother. The lovely lady attempted to use her allure against the Dragon, and it worked for a short time, before she too was burned, more severely than Mr. Diggory. She still managed to retrieve the egg, but was marked low due to her injuries. _

_Viktor Krum, most recently-noted as the youngest International Quidditch player for the past five decades, faced off against a Chinese Fireball and used a Conjunctivitus Curse to great effect, in the words of Ludo Bagman (head of the Magical Games and Sports Department in the British Ministry of Magic), though he too lost points due to the dragon stomping several eggs in the process of a blind rage. _

_Finally, Harry Potter came to the scene. His opponent: a vicious Hungarian Horntail. But did the Boy-Who-Lived falter in the face of this danger? Did he attempt simple magicks in an attempt to distract the danger? No, he showed everyone present why he is to be respected regardless of what titles he might hold. Utilizing the ancient art of Parselmagic, the last vestiges of which were lost to the Wizarding World when a Purge of the Slytherin line (led by Ignotus Dumbledore, the headmaster's paternal ancestor) occurred in the 1500s, Lord Potter defeated his draconian opponent quite effectively, stunning those gathered in attendance as a result. Previously, only the Dark Lord You-Know-Who used Parselmagic, but rarely strayed from the spells we all grew up learning. Where did Potter learn this magic, as so much of the records containing it have been destroyed? _

_I was able to find out later on; it turns out the young savior's defeat of You-Know-Who, which he claims to rightfully belong to his mother, left him with some of the Dark Lord's own power imbued upon him through the failed curse. Young Potter proceeded to inform me that he had discovered the Chamber of Secrets two years ago and recently returned to learn there was a treasure trove of knowledge from the Founders up through history down there, and that he has been using it to train for the Tournament. "I refuse to shackle myself in order to appease those who have caused our once proud society to become weak, ghost-like shells of what we once were," Lord Potter told me, agreeing to let me print this information. He believes that we have allowed ourselves to be shackled by those fearful of the use of the Old Ways, citing the continued attempts to outlaw the Old Ways despite their immortality and resilience against what he calls New Magicks. _

_In Potter's bout with the Horntail, he conjured a Stone Golem using the boulders scattered about that were meant for cover (having utilized a variation of the Shield Charm designed by Salazar Slytherin himself as a more effective protection) and induced the Golem to attack the dragon while he prepared his true attack. What is the nature of that attack, you may ask? Why, a pair of magically-altered Anacondas from South America, capable of growing to five times their normal size; the Anacondas restrained the dragon quite effectively, though one was injured, while Lord Potter retrieved his egg and received the highest marks of the day._

_When asked about the injured Anaconda, Lord Potter shrugged and said, "Juan has had a rather high opinion of himself and learned the hard way he's not the toughest snake on the block." _

_The Chamber of Secrets has been remodeled, due to Potter's battle with an ancient basilisk roughly two years ago, and it now holds a motif of the Hogwarts shield with a basilisk coiled below and a phoenix soaring above. When asked about this motif, Lord Potter explained, "It represents the beliefs I hold now as opposed to when I first returned to the Wizarding World. Then, I was a naïve boy who had just been told of this wonderful new world after having escaped my relatives. Now, I'm a bit more seasoned and I know that not everything is black and white. Magic is magic, and the fact is that if the Dark is destroyed, the Light is less bright, and if the Light is destroyed, the Darkness overwhelms and we cannot see our way to new breakthroughs and new spells. Our society needs to let go of preconceptions and remember that what we all have in common is _magic_, and that it is this that binds us, not blood or power, though of course those do help in some cases." _

_All in all, an evening spent in the company of the young Lord Potter has been quite enjoyable and illuminating. I know from my contacts in the Ministry that Lord Potter has promised the release of the majority of the tomes in the Chamber once the Tournament is complete. "The only ones I will not release are the tomes on Parselmagic," according to Lord Potter, who believes that the tomes are useless unless one can speak with Serpents. That, and as he points out, one has to be able to read it and can only do so with Parseltongue. _

Lucius studied the other articles closely, nodding to himself, frowning at some points and smirking at others. The boy was certainly becoming more worthy of his name and his title. This solidified a decision Lucius had juggled around for some time now. He cleared his throat and said, "Narcissa, I believe its time we ended the mild feud between the Potters and the Malfoys. I shall write to young Lord Potter; I believe you should write to Draco, he will understand it more coming from you." Lucius was displeased with the latter fact, but could not fight it. Draco was shaping up to be an excellent heir to Lucius, who would leave him the Malfoy business empire. He needed to learn how to handle dealing with such men as Harry Potter, men who held positions high above even the Malfoys.

In another part of the country, Remus Lupin sat in shock at the paper in front of him. He had taught Harry last year and never had any idea that this was bubbling beneath the surface. The boy's use of Parselmagic was, to Remus, inconsequential, as he was a werewolf and did not reject anyone based on something as foolish as an ability. But the views Harry had expressed were remarkably similar to those of his grandfather Charlus and his parents in their final weeks. James and Lily had learned some troubling truths, though they had not confided in their friends what those truths were; the continuing mystery surrounding James and Lily's deaths gnawed at Lupin and others who knew them, trying to figure out why Voldemort had waited so long to finish them. There were rumors of a prophecy, but they had gone into hiding shortly after Harry had been born, and yet they hadn't been attacked until after undergoing the Fidelius Charm. Why? What had kept Voldemort back from making the choice right after Harry was born?

Remus knew that despite his animosity towards the Dark Arts, Sirius would follow Harry into hell, or to Voldemort's side of the war if that happened. Sirius was and always had been utterly devoted to the boy; he had told Remus, during a brief reunion after his escape from Hogwarts, that his greatest regret was not breaking out sooner if only to know the boy and have something to keep him going while he hunted for the Rat. Remus also knew that he himself, through Moony, would probably find it difficult not to follow Harry, but there was still Dumbledore to consider.

But after finishing each of the articles, Remus Lupin found himself starting to wonder if he had been played by the man he trusted. He had things he had to think about, and he needed someone to discuss with them. It looked like it was time for a visit to Hogsmeade; Sirius had written him, telling him he was back in the country and hidden in a cave not far from Hogwarts, though he had only spoken to Harry briefly; they had been interrupted on Harry's end, though Harry had never told Sirius later on who had interrupted them. Remus was suspicious of that, but decided he'd hold it back until he could speak with Harry himself.

_**Second Article**_

At the Burrow, Molly and Arthur Weasley were going about their morning schedule in a subdued fashion. Molly had taken to glancing out at the yard where a fresh grave had been dug, then look at her prized clock where a scorch mark showed where the hand bearing Ron's name and visage had been. To lose both her youngest son and daughter at the same time had been horrible; to lose Ron to suicide had been worse, and no one could convince Molly that she could've done something. She knew Ron considered himself useless, but she had never known how much little things like his favorite sandwich or his favorite color for his sweater really mattered until he died.

Arthur, meanwhile, had found it increasingly difficult to find respect at work despite his acquiescence to Harry Potter's requirements. He had kept his head down, for his wife's sake, and hoped that one day their family honor would be repaired; but he now knew it would not be through him, nor through his two oldest or his youngest; the last hopes for his family were the Twins and Percy. The Twins were dedicated pranksters and inventors, and Percy was an ambitious young man who could go far in the Ministry.

The Prophet owl arrived, and after handing over the requisite five Knuts for delivery, Arthur opened the prophet. The main articles contained, all written by Rita Skeeter (who must have worked overtime to get them done in one night) were all very intriguing, but the one that caught his attention most was likely the one that caught the attention of every parent or guardian of a child at Hogwarts.

_**Treachery and Deception:**_

_**Potter Speaks Out Regarding "Safety" at Hogwarts**_

_**By**_

_**Rita Skeeter, Special Correspondent**_

"_Hogwarts is among the safest places in the Wizarding World," is a common phrase coming from both Headmaster Albus Dumbledore and his hand-picked staff, which include some highly-acceptable appointments and some rather ludicrous ones. But how safe is it really? During a conversation with Albus Dumbledore which this investigative reporter was privy to, the young Lord Potter raised several concerning events which attracted my attention enough to speak to him upon his departure from Dumbledore's sanctum in Hogwarts. The young man, despite his rather distrusting nature (a nature that is utterly deserved due to what he's been through), was willing to speak with me but felt it best done in a more private atmosphere. It was the first of many surprises last night for me to be led to the infamous Chamber of Secrets, which Lord Potter claimed had to do with his comments to the headmaster. _

_Sitting down in a pair of comfortable transfigured chairs, Lord Potter and I began to discuss the points he had made. I will convey the contents of the conversation within this article, and please note that Lord Potter made a Wizard's Oath similar to the one he has previously made regarding his entry into the Tournament that what he was going to reveal was absolutely truthful, though colored by his perspective. The young man does indeed know how to cover his bases, so for those who would like to exploit him, beware; he is no longer willing to just sit back and take any kind of beating, physical, emotional, or financial. _

_In Mr. Potter's first year, a professor at Hogwarts was trying to steal the Philosopher's Stone, having failed to take it from Gringotts Bank. The Professor in question, Quirinus Quirrell, died near the end of the year and his death was hushed up by the Headmaster. How did Quirrell meet his end? Unfortunately, what innocence young Mr. Potter had after his relatives' abuse was destroyed when he was forced to confront the former Professor, who turned out to be an agent of You-Know-Who. According to Lord Potter, You-Know-Who is barely a spirit, but is still as cunning and wrathful as ever. Lord Potter has confided in me that this was one of two attempts by the fallen Dark Lord to regain his body and former strength. _

_But why was Lord Potter forced to kill a man at the tender age of eleven? As Lord Potter paints it, this was due to a storm of events and unfortunate circumstances which could easily have been avoided through a very simple decision: hide the Sorcerer's Stone somewhere other than a school full of children. Instead, Hogwarts played host to a veritable maze of danger; young Mr. Potter and the late Ronald Weasley, while seeking to find their mutual friend Ms. Granger, attempted to trap a troll released into Hogwarts on Halloween night (a danger they had intended to warn Ms. Granger of), only to realize they had inadvertently trapped the young girl with the troll. Lord Potter and the late Mr. Weasley proceeded to attempt to distract the troll, with Mr. Weasley eventually knocking the troll out with its own club. _

"_It was one of Ron's prouder moments, before petty jealousy ruined the friendship we had," reflected Mr. Potter. In return for keeping another student safe and ensuring the danger had passed, Lord Potter and Mr. Weasley received five points each, while Ms. Granger received a five-point deduction for a lie told to the professors. Interviews with the professors in question (at least those still alive) reveal they were aware of the lie but felt it unnecessary to call the young girl out on it. The minute point assignment was due to an effort by the teachers to curb the children's insatiable desire for adventure. Lord Potter learned during his confrontation with Quirrell that the man had been the one to bring the troll into the castle, as a distraction while he attempted to stop Quirrell from gaining his prize. _

_Later in the year, after piecing things together over several months, Harry Potter and his friends attempted to warn the Hogwarts Staff about an attempt to steal the Sorcerer's Stone, only to face rebuttal and refusal to listen. "I don't blame her," says Lord Potter, speaking of Professor McGonagall, "as she was under quite a bit of pressure. Not only was she juggling the duties of teacher and Head of House, which includes being magical guardian for those who are Muggle-raised or otherwise without a proper magical relative, but due to Professor Dumbledore's absence was acting Headmistress and therefore was forced to deal with the day-to-day duties of the Headmaster on top of everything else." It is interesting to note that Professor McGonagall has since given up the position of Deputy Headmistress to Professor Vector. It is rumored that Severus Snape attempted to gain the position, but was shot down by the remaining staff. _

_Lord Potter and his friends were forced to attempt to protect the Stone themselves, though at the time they believed their Potions Master, rather than their Defense instructor, to be the culprit. "Quirrell said that it was useful to have Snape around, because no one would suspect him compared to the 'overgrown bat'," Lord Potter reflected. The three friends, armed with first year knowledge, entered the corridor where the Sorcerer's Stone was being held. The tasks before them were a Cerberus, a growth of Devil' Snare, a Charmed set of keys that one had to retrieve via broom, a Transfigured Chess Set, a security troll, a logic test in the form of Potions, and finally the esoteric Mirror of Erised, or Mirror of Desire. _

_Lord Potter reflected on how they were thankful at the time for the ease of the tests, but mentioned he has since wondered if they were tailored specifically to he and his friends. "Hagrid's a great friend, but he's known to let things slip," Lord Potter said, "and if you show an interest in his many creatures he is all too willing to wax poetic regarding them. Fluffy, the Cerberus, is one of Hagrid's many pets, and he gave us the information the day we entered the corridor. Devil's Snare is a practical defense if one is expecting your opponent to panic, but the fact is that that only occurs in the heat of battle or if the opponent is not quite as intelligent as would be needed. _

"_That was a great trap for first years or magical beings of low intelligence," Lord Potter said, "but both Quirrell and his master were highly-intelligent, motivated individuals, and Quirrell's master had the patience to wait ten years to find an attempt to return. Both Ron and I would've died, but Hermione is one of the most intelligent witches of our generation, though her application of what she learns leaves some to be desired." The young trio of first years continued through, Lord Potter using his skills in Quidditch to locate and retrieve the key needed to continue onto the next chamber, where they found a Chess Set transfigured by Minerva McGonagall herself. Herein came Ron Weasley's speciality. A prodigy in chess, young Mr. Weasley managed to hold their side together and allowed himself to be taken in order to leave Lord Potter open to deliver a checkmate to the other pieces. The troll had already been taken care of, and Hermione Granger once again showed her smarts in deciphering the logic puzzle created by Severus Snape and identifying the potions that would allow one through a pair of magical fires. Lord Potter ordered Ms. Granger to return to Mr. Weasley and find Professor Dumbledore, while he went on in his stead. _

_Faced with Quirrell on his own, Lord Potter attempted to distract Quirrell, only to become the instrument of retrieving the Stone from the Mirror of Erised, which the young Potter had encountered during the Christmas Holidays. "Which makes me wonder what was guarding the Stone in place of the final protection I encountered," Lord Potter muses. The confrontation led to Professor Quirrell's death, and Lord Potter says that it was once again the Old Magic his mother must have used to protect him as a baby, as it caused Quirrell's body to disintegrate._

_His following two years were no less dangerous, Lord Potter replied when asked if this was just a one-off year. In his second year, a cursed artifact found itself in the hands of another student and the Chamber of Secrets, at the time still the habitat of a living basilisk, was opened and the monster released once again. Lord Potter points out that a thirteen-year-old girl, the ever-curious Ms. Granger, pieced together the monster's identity in a matter of months while the teachers appeared clueless throughout the entire year until Mr. Potter was forced to enter the Chamber to save young Ginevra Weasley, which formed the life debt that is the basis of the recent indentured servitude Ms. Weasley has found herself in due to the actions of her closest-in-age brother and mother, who has refused to comment regarding her foolishness in attacking the Heir of An Ancient and Noble House, which Lord Potter was at the time. _

_Lord Potter was forced to kill the basilisk, but not without a price: "The basilisk managed to get a bite on me," he revealed, rolling up his sleeve to show a minute mark in the crook of his elbow, "and if not for Fawkes, who I believed to be the Headmaster's Phoenix at the time, I would have died. But I will always have both phoenix tears and basilisk venom flowing through my veins." This price is not much of one, as it ensures that any creature such as a vampire who attempts to take Lord Potter will perish, as the combination of those two virulent elements would ensure protection against all such magical attempts. _

_In his third year, Sirius Black escaped from Azkaban, presumably to kill Lord Potter in revenge for You-Know-Who's downfall. But Lord Potter has revealed unknown events of that dreadful Halloween night and the days following it. The Potters had entered a Fidelius Charm, presumably with Sirius Black as their Secret-Keeper. The Blacks were well-known supporters of You-Know-Who at the time, but Sirius Black had been James Potter's best friend for years and was godfather to young Harry. The Fidelius Charm was cast by Albus Dumbledore; but as Lord Potter reveals, it appears even his parents did not fully trust the Headmaster as they secretly switched Secret-Keepers. Lily Potter, a Charms prodigy who was rumored to have been apprenticed to Filius Flitwick before entering hiding, was able to perform the switch from Sirius Black to Peter Pettigrew, who immediately ran off to his master, You-Know-Who. _

_Sirius Black, distraught with rage and wanting to bring down the man who had destroyed the family he cared about, attempted to apprehend Pettigrew. Here is where unknown elements come into play, as Lord Potter revealed that his father, godfather, and Pettigrew learned of roommate Remus Lupin's secret as a werewolf while in school, and proceeded to become Animagi in order to keep their friend company during his worst trials. James Potter became a Stag, Sirius Black became a Grim-like dog, and Peter Pettigrew took on the form of a rat. In this one instance, Pettigrew outsmarted Black (thought to be one of the more intelligent students at Hogwarts in his day) and blasted the street, killing twelve muggles, before cutting off his finger and transforming. Lord Potter learned the night Sirius Black escaped Hogwarts that Pettigrew had taken up residence in the Weasley home, first as the pet of Percival Weasley, who is now an assistant to Bartemius Crouch Sr. (who incidentally sentenced Sirius Black to Azkaban without trial, a fact that horrified Lord Potter) in the Department of International Magical Cooperation. _

_Sirius Black escaped Azkaban upon realizing that Pettigrew, the Betrayer, was in close proximity to the Last Potter and fulfilled his duty as Godfather, sticking close to Hogwarts and keeping an eye on the situation, attempting at times to find Pettigrew and bring him in. Lord Potter and his friends were finally confronted with the truth, delayed momentarily by Severus Snape, who has a grudge against Black, James Potter, and Remus Lupin (the Defense teacher last year who left after Snape exposed his secret to the school) going back to their own school days. However, Lupin, in his surprise at seeing Pettigrew alive on an unspecified magical device (which Lord Potter simply claims is a family heirloom created by his father), had forgotten to take his Potion that night. Sirius Black heroically defended the underage students, and in doing so forfeited his chance at freedom as Pettigrew took advantage of his captors' distraction and escaped. As Lord Potter points out, his life was in more danger from the Dementors placed around the castle than from Black or Lupin; Potter claims to have driven the dementors back prior to passing out, and he revealed his Patronus to me when I doubted his capabilities. It is a magnificent stag, a representation of Lord Potter's father. "In this way, he's always with me," Lord Potter confided._

_Lord Potter claims to have no knowledge of Black's escape, but said that if did have a hand in it "who can blame me, as the Minister of Magic believed the word of a convicted Death Eater and someone who has a visible hatred of all things Potter, which includes their friends?" This reporter agrees, and wonders at the wisdom of Minister Fudge, who has made repeatedly bad mistakes in the past few months, from the ones he puts his trust in to his own banking endeavors. _

_Lord Potter has declared that he will use all magicks at his disposal, as he does not believe Hogwarts is safe. He also believes that one should be on guard during Halloween while at Hogwarts, as each year something has happened. In his first year, the troll was let loose and he and his friends were forced to take it down out of necessity while the teachers ran about the wrong part of the castle; second year, the Chamber was opened and the basilisk unleashed; third year, Sirius Black managed to make it as far as Gryffindor Tower without being discovered, despite his intent being on finding Pettigrew rather than Potter; and finally this year Lord Potter was forced into the TriWizard Tournament against his will. _

_Lord Potter fears what may be in store for Hogwarts in the coming year, and has vowed to use all his powers, Light or Dark, to face it. It appears that while Albus Dumbledore may simply speak words but take no action in regard to them, the young Lord Potter is quickly rising to be the protector our children require; the fact that he himself is still young, and only considered an adult due to circumstances beyond his control, should be troubling at the least to any and all adults in our community._

Arthur's hands trembled in shock and anger at the article. Not anger at Harry or Skeeter, but at Dumbledore. Arthur didn't particularly like Rita nor her sensationalist writing, but he knew Harry well enough that the boy wouldn't have allowed all of this to be printed without it being true. Rita was not foolish enough to exaggerate anything Harry told her, if only out of fear of what he could do to her if she did. But Dumbledore. . . how could he have let this happen? How could the Wizarding World have let the man be in charge of their children with so little oversight, when things like this were going on? Was this a common occurrence at Hogwarts, or was it happening because Dumbledore was trying to test Harry for some obscure reason?

Of course, the answer came fairly quickly. Dumbledore was able to get away with this because of the trust the Wizarding Community placed in the man based on nothing more than his stance against Grindlewald. Molly was a devout follower of Dumbledore, even after recent events, but Arthur's genetics had kicked in and he was beginning to view the old man with a high level of distrust. He wouldn't pull his children out of Hogwarts, but if there was an investigation into Dumbledore's activities, Arthur would throw what political weight he had behind it. It was time to take a stand.

Meanwhile, in a pair of Muggle households, the reactions were quite different. The Drs.' Granger were shocked and appalled, as well as angered at the obvious deceptions their daughter had been feeding to them now that the truth had been revealed. The Creevey parents were likewise disturbed; had they known this was going on, they would never have allowed Colin to return nor allowed Dennis to set foot in that world. Both families made plans to contact their children regarding their eventual removal from harm's way; if they wanted to continue on in that world, they would have to seek education at another facility. That was all there was to it.

At the Bones Manor, Amelia Bones cast her breakfast tea aside in favor of heading into work early; the Ministry was sure to be in a bother, and would need all hands on deck. Minister Fudge, no doubt, would be finding himself needing to take action and better it was Amelia who suggested what course of action that would be than the likes of Lucius Malfoy and Dolores Umbridge, though the latter of the two was currently serving time in Azkaban, though not as much as she should have been.

She had claimed conspiracy, and when it had failed, admitted that she had hired the mercenary group to kill the half-breeds but only to scare the Muggleborn who were attempting to upset the status quo, not kill them; while intimidation of citizens was still a punishable offense for an elected official to face, the sentence related to it was negligible in comparison to the sentence that would be carried for hiring mercs to murder a citizen.

While enough of the Wizengamot believed her, Amelia believed the woman to have been lying between her teeth. She would be out of Azkaban in June, and Amelia hoped to have consolidated enough of a power base (perhaps with Lord Potter's help, if she could get an audience) to keep Umbridge from gaining as much power as before. Umbridge was a vestige of the old regime, when Fudge's administration ran to whoever was influencing him that weak, either through experience (Dumbledore) or financing (Lucius Malfoy and his ilk). Nowadays, Fudge was barely holding on, and having to appease multiple people, including those allied with the House of Potter (which in Britain was surprisingly few, resulting in more involvement from the International Confederation of Wizards). He was now finding his job far more difficult, as he could no longer depend on the advice of ALbus Dumbledore or Lucius Malfoy as it would cause a public outcry even from the previous indictments of fraud; now, with the new revelations of Lord Potter, it would be political suicide to follow the advice of the former.

_**Third Article**_

Alonso Greengrass was an early-riser, unlike his wife Dierdre or his two daughters, who complained during the summer holidays that the teachers at Hogwarts were sadists for expecting them to be up and ready to learn at eight in the morning (earlier if they wanted breakfast). As such, he was often the first one to read the paper when it was delivered. Most days it was filled with the usual commentaries about the political games of the Ministry, the sordid affairs of some of the older wizards whose bloodlines were threatened with extinction, and of course gossip regarding high-powered wizards such as the members of the Wizengamot and Lord Potter, who had recently made quite a stir.

As he unfurled the Daily Prophet the morning after the First Task (his daughters' letters home had not been too forthcoming, simply stating that Lord Potter had exceeded all expectations), Alonso Greengrass (whose business empire rivaled that of the Malfoy and Zabini families, both legal and illegal) found himself surprised to find the majority of the paper devoted, in one form or another, to young Lord Potter; there were still the usual articles, of course, but there were also four major articles regarding Lord Potter in one way or another, all penned by Rita Skeeter. He read through the majority of them quickly enough, then stopped at an article that seemed to be more of a commentary rather than a news article (not that that had ever stopped the _Daily Prophet_).

_**Potter: More Than He Seems**_

_**By**_

_**Rita Skeeter, Special Correspondent**_

_Harry Potter. Considered by many to be the boy-hero who saved us from living under a tyrannical Dark Lord, he vanished for ten years and re-appeared for his first year at Hogwarts, seemingly unaware of his importance. In recent weeks, he has made great strides towards fixing this misconception, though he himself admits that until last year, he had no idea the position the Potter family held in the Wizarding World. "It seems many people wanted me ignorant of my position, and I can only assume it was for their own selfish gains rather than for the good of the wizarding world, or for me," young Lord Potter states as he and I speak in the infamous Chamber of Secrets, which Lord Potter won through rite of conquest by defeating the Dark Lord as a baby, and again twice during his career at Hogwarts. _

_But who is Harry Potter, really, if the boy we've seen at Hogwarts until now was merely a shield to keep those untrustworthy elements of our society believing they had won? This reporter has managed to find out. Following are a list of questions I asked and which Lord Potter answered. _

_**What was your first impression of the Wizarding World?**_

_It was a wondrous place, but I kept pinching myself because I believed it had to be a dream. How could I be a wizard when I'd been the victim of my relatives for so long? How come I hadn't just obliterated them the first time they did something foul to me? As I learned more about the wizarding world, I realized that I did not have completely control over my magic, though I had gained some control without realizing it. Otherwise, how would I have managed to do things like fly to the top of my school kitchens or Vanish a sheet of glass at the zoo? _

_Of course, now that I've lived here, I find it is very much like the Muggle world. There are good and bad people, people who want to do the right thing and people who claim they will simply to appear good and wholesome; there's tolerance and prejudice, there's gossip; all the things that can be found in the Muggle world can be found in some way in the Wizarding World, only in terms of magic. _

_**What do you consider the biggest problem with the Wizarding World?**_

_The fact that so many put trust in men like Albus Dumbledore, whose sole claim to fame has been the defeat of Grindlewald. But one thing we have to remember is Dumbledore didn't kill the man, but imprisoned him. Now think about the War against Tom (You-Know-Who's Real Name). Dumbledore had ten years before my parents were killed to deal with Tom, and yet did not. Either he had some misguided ideal of rescuing Tom from his evil quest, which from my understanding was why he captured Grindlewald,, or he just couldn't be bothered to kill someone. If it was the second case, he should have left fighting the War to the Ministry and not gotten involved. I understand from Professor (Alastor 'Mad-Eye') Moody that Barty Crouch was the head of the DMLE at the time and advocated using the Unforgiveables and other Dark Spells to bring in or otherwise take down the Death Eaters and Tom. He was blocked until the last two years of the war, by an alliance led by Dumbledore, which consisted of several prominent families who are now decimated: the McKinnons, the Bones, the Lonbottoms, and unfortunately, my own. My father was apparently emancipated once his parents died and had to take responsibility for the family affairs; my grandfather stood by Dumbledore in the case of using extreme measures out of loyalty. Apparently, they'd worked together to take down Grindlewald. _

_Dumbledore is trusted by the majority of the Wizarding World. While he was never Minister of Magic, he has been Headmaster, Chief Warlock, and Supreme Mugwump for ten years or more. He claims to not want power, but accepts some of the most powerful positions in the Wizarding World? Maybe I'm seeing things, but that seems fishy to me. _

_No one's saying Dumbledore isn't an accomplished wizard. From my understanding he was one of the best teachers at Hogwarts, but as Headmaster he has been very lax in several areas. Bullying runs rampant in the halls of Hogwarts, but no one does a thing; the teachers give out assignments, but put out an air that they shouldn't be bothered if someone has a question, that the person should simply seek the answer in the library. Hogwarts is considered the most prestigious school by Britons, but from what I've learned about Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, Hogwarts is beginning to slide, educationally-speaking, under the Headmaster's direction. _

_**What do you mean in regards to Hogwarts's education? **_

_Well, we all know about the Potions issue. The Defense position is rarely held by anyone for more than a year; the best so far when I've been has been Professor Lupin, who lost his job after it was revealed he was a werewolf, a secret he had managed to keep for over 20 years during which he had never harmed anyone. Professor Moody is quickly becoming my second-favorite teacher, since he and I are seeing things quite similarly. From the sound of it, he and Professor Dumbledore might be old friends, but they disagree heavily on dealing with terrorists like the Death Eaters. _

_History of Magic, which is one of the most important subjects so we don't repeat the mistakes of our ancestors, is taught by a ghost unable to move past Goblin Rebellions and Giant Riots. By now we should be well past those issues, and be somewhere along the lines of when the headmaster was at school, not stuck in the 1600s, when those elements were at their most rampant. While there was a Goblin Rebellion during the Headmaster's time, it was not the only thing happening and we should be learning more. _

_Finally, Divination cannot be taught, unless you mean being able to scare the hell out of someone you don't like. True seers are not taught or trained, they're born. Professor Trelawney has, according to Headmaster Dumbledore, had two foretellings. I don't know about the first one, but I witnessed the second. Still, this is not a subject that can be taught. If I could, I would switch to Ancient Runes or Arithmancy; Runes because it can help in learning how to ward areas of all kinds, and Arithmancy because it's a key element in Spell Creation, something that has stagnated in our culture since the War with Tom. _

_**You've caused quite a stir since claiming your inheritance as Lord Potter-Peverell. What are your intentions for the Wizarding World?**_

_At the moment, all I want is to get through the Tournament alive and get through my years at schooling. As for the Wizarding World, I believe there needs to be a reckoning of some kind to shake our world out of apathy and directionless wanderings. _

_**What do you mean?**_

_Our world has become caught up in trying to make sure something like Tom's reign of terror never happens again that we have begun to truly turn our world against each other. I don't know how many times I've heard that Slytherins are all evil and nothing good comes out of that House. But if Tom only recruited from Slytherin, he'd have had very few followers to use against the Wizarding World. Not to mention regardless of whether you believe Pettigrew is alive or if my godfather was the true traitor, both of them were Gryffindors, the apparent Light House of Hogwarts. _

_Hogwarts also reflects this. I've managed to find out that prior to Tom's reign of terror, Slytherin was considered the house of the sly and cunning, usually future politicians, and so were distrusted because of that. But they were not viewed with outright hatred and disgust. Now, Slytherin is synonymous with 'Future Death Eater'; well, I say all the Houses could be considered Dark when taken to their extremes. Gryffindors commit themselves to causes they see as worthy completely; what's to stop them from committing to a cause that's evil and destroying the Wizarding World? Ravenclaws study the heart out of an issue and while they are sometimes not open to extreme ideals, they're willing to study a lot of different avenues; what's to stop them from creating new rituals or rune-combinations that could lead to the destruction of some of our greatest institutions? Hufflepuffs are hard-workers and loyal to those they pledge to; if one of them pledged to a Dark Lord, they would be amongst the most dangerous of followers due to their fanatical loyalty. _

_Kids don't just decide one day that their classmates are evil; they're taught it, and it's not taught at Hogwarts. It's taught at home. The parents of Slytherin students don't help, as they give them a sense of superiority, painting images of their children being all-powerful in comparison to the rest of their classmates. This has become apparent in altercations between Slytherin House and the rest of Hogwarts. Hogwarts was designed to be united, even Salazar Slytherin stated as much. If he completely disagreed with the approach of the Founders, he would have had his House and Name removed from the records of Hogwarts; yet he did not. _

_Instead, the Houses are divided, and backbiting, backstabbing, and general distaste for each other is rampant. It took a Wizarding Oath from me to show the Houses that I had not attempted to "steal" the glory of Hufflepuff when my name came out after Cedric Diggory's._

_**What do you think the Wizarding World can do to eliminate this internal threat before it becomes too much for us to stop? **_

_Be more aware of what's going on in the Muggle world, especially for those raised by Muggles. While some of my friends who are Muggleborn clearly have a good home life, that is not always so. I had an abusive home life, as already revealed in the past few weeks as the Goblins acted as my attorneys, and the man who everyone fears, Tom Riddle, was raised in a Muggle orphanage, abused and abandoned by his Muggle father. What would have happened if, upon learning of this, Armando Dippet and Albus Dumbledore had sought to place the young SLytherin with a family in the wizarding world? Perhaps things would have turned out the same; perhaps Tom was already too far down the path of corruption and tyranny. But what if instead of trying to destroy our world, he sought to change things? My family would still be alive; so would the Bones, the McKinnons, the Prewetts, and so many others. Instead, many of the most powerful pureblood lines have been decimated or are now rotting in Azkaban, all because one young boy's abuse was known and nothing was done. _

_**And what of Hogwarts and its traditions?**_

_Tradition is a great thing, Rita. It allows us a sense of history and involvement that others could not manage to comprehend. But there's a time where tradition is less of an aid and more of an obstacle. _

_At Hogwarts, we compete for the House and Quidditch Cups. The House Cup competition is won by being awarded points for such things as answering questions in class, completing assignments beyond the satisfaction of the teacher, and performing services for the school such as helping younger students and keeping watch over them. This is the idealistic view that most of the wizarding world has had. _

_The reality of the House Competition is far grimmer. While the above is done, there is also the sense of favoritism amongst the teachers. While a majority conduct their affairs in a just manner, the Heads of Houses are known to favor their houses regardless. In the past, I didn't see much favoritism happening beyond a few more points to a student of a particular house over the student of another. The most blatant occurrences were those of Severus Snape, who had made the House Cup a joke since his arrival at Hogwarts. In the years since Voldemort's downfall, Slytherin and Gryffindor have been the only ones to win the Cup, and Gryffindor has only won due because of the Headmaster's interest in me, I think. The first two years, he awared a number of last-minute points due to the actions of my friends and I, while third year was the only one where we won the Cup on our own merit. _

_As for the Quidditch competitions, again there is disparity. Not only is there a not-so-invisible competition between the Heads of House as they book practices as fast as they can to shut the other teams out, but the school is meant to be providing the brooms for competition so the teams are equal. But the Board of Governors has refused to pay that expense, despite their oaths to keep Hogwarts as the premier educational institution of magical Britain, and so the only brooms available at Hogwarts were brand new when my grandfather was here. Meanwhile, the teams must purchase their own brooms, or in the case of the Slytherin team, have them donated by a wealthy alumni. _

_There is no union between the Houses. Assignments are done in-House, pairings are rarely mixed-Houses, and the competitive nature of Hogwarts has caused a great rift between the Houses. Competitions meant to be friendly and good fun have now become downright violent and mean-spirited. The only groups that aren't affected are the ones where people get together because of a common interest, and even then, they tend to break into groups of their own Houses. _

_**Anything else you would like to add for our readers?**_

_Yes. A lot of people talk about the barbaric nature of the Old Ways, and yet they are amongst our most powerful magicks. Most of those who talk about the Old Ways in such a way are ignorant and uneducated in these matters, through no fault of their own. Again, this is a failing that has happened since Albus Dumbledore became first Deputy Head and than Headmaster of Hogwarts. Much of the curriculum that educated the Wizarding public on these amtters has been cut under his watch, resulting in a Wizarding World ready to turn on itself. _

_A good friend of mine is one of the most powerful witches and most intelligent I know, but because of her ingrained belief in authority and the printed word, shuns the Old Ways and supports only the New Magicks. This has caused her no end of trouble with the Old Families and even with other Muggleborn who have learned about some of the Old Ways from friends who belong to those families. _

_Finally, by limiting the ways in which the Old Ways can be used, the Wizarding World is choking itself to death through attrition. The families of the Wizarding World, those who helped create the Ministry, the Wizengamot, and our way of life, have been forced to hide away a part of themselves because of the atmosphere of distrust towards anything that mirrors the Old Ways. _

_Most of our troubles come from the belief that we must be like the Muggle world and advance. I agree we need to advance, but we do not need to subject ourselves to the same limitations as the Muggle world. If we do, what's the point in having magic? If we submit ourselves to these limitations, we might as well snap our wands, destroy Hogwarts and the Ministry, and mingle with the Muggle world, allowing the Wizarding World to sink into extinction. I, for one, am not about to let that happen. So let the Ministry and Dumbledore claim I'm evil for practicing the ways of my ancestors. At least I honor them. _

_**End of interview**_

_As you can see, Lord Potter-Peverell has a unique outlook on the Wizarding World and its problems. He is quite eloquent for a young man, and he has put forth several points that even I had not considered. I will seek out the truth of these things, and report to the Wizarding World once my investigation is complete. _

Greengrass raised an eyebrow, a delighted smirk flitting across his features. He would have to write his daughters and suggest they seek out an alliance with the young lord. It was clear the young man had a defined sense of what the Wizarding World could be, and if there was one thing the Greengrasses could sense easily, it was when a change in the wind was coming. There had been some who had attempted what Lord Potter-Peverell was doing, without success; but they had been nobodies, minor pureblood families with limited family magicks that they weren't allowed to practice.

But Potter. . . he could turn the Wizarding World on its side and recreate it in whatever image he chose; the boy's position on the wizarding world, amplified by both his social status and his fame, was like a torrent of water, destroying anyone who opposed him. Those who stood by his side stood to gain everything if, no, when Lord Potter succeeded. The boy's modesty and tendency to speak as though he were merely making suggestions was pure genius, and the fact that he spoke genuinely spoke volumes. The boy was powerful, charismatic, and would take the Wizarding World into a new era, without the shackles the Muggleborns and their supporters had placed upon Wizarding development.

Meanwhile, that same article was causing a stir amongst some of Dumbledore's supporters in the Wizengamot. Tiberius Ogden, Griselda Marchbanks, and Augusta Longbottom were all astounded that the young Lord Potter would perpetuate such an attack on their compatriot and, indeed, upon them by comparison. All three had supported Dumbledore's legislations and his position on Muggleborns and Muggles, including the dissolution of the use and teaching of the Old Ways at Hogwarts. For some young whelp to act as though he knew better than they, who had been practicing magic long before their grandparents were ever conceived, was an insult to their positions. They would teach the young lord a thing or two about the true power of magic and politics.

_**Final Article**_

Cold laughter filled the dusty room at Riddle Manor as Peter "Wormtail" Pettigrew finished reading the third article regarding Harry Potter to his enfeebled Master. Pettigrew, for his part, was stunned at how eerily similar Harry's views on the Wizarding World were to his own Master's prior to the last ritual that had caused his master to sink into insanity. Peter had been a closet supporter of the Dark Lord throughout his school years, much like Regulus Black (though Regulus had been open about his support and fanboy status towards the Dark Lord). He had kept clippings of the Dark Lord's speeches prior to his devolvement, and he had joined the Dark Lord in hopes that the man's campaign of terror was simple misdirection while his servants applied the political aspects to the Wizarding community.

Voldemort, for his part, had at first been enraged and then, after asking Wormtail to re-read the article that had caused his anger (once the fool had recovered from his Cruciatus Curse, that is), had considered what the Potter boy had said. The long-dormant part of his mind that held rational thought and his true cunning had been electrified by reading his own views supported by the boy who had supposedly defeated him. He had found it interesting that the boy also denied the belief that he had defeated Voldemort, claiming that the true credit lay with his mother.

Voldemort had known of Lily Evans, later Potter, through his servants. He had known that, unlike so many Muggleborn, she had taken an interest in the esoteric magic that had been Voldemort's primary focus. She had also not done as other Muggleborns did and attempted to change the Wizarding World to suit the image of the Muggle one in which she had grown up. No, she had embraced her new world, excitedly telling her family of her advances, and had married into a fairly respectable pureblood family, though the family's alliances left much to be desired. In all, when Severus Snape had asked him to spare Lily Potter the night he went to Godric's Hollow, he had seriously considered it; even going so far as to offer her the chance to stand aside three different times before his patience had finally wore thin. After all, it was only a matter of time before Dumbledore realized the Fidelius had failed, and Voldemort had needed to deal with his prophesied destroyer before then.

Of course, he had not considered the fact that Lily Potter may have used a form of old magic to defend her young son from him. Lily Potter had proved herself highly-capable in their confrontations prior to that Halloween night, and had earned Voldemort's respect as far as her ability with magic went. He had never been one for the purity of blood, merely using it as a tool to bring the likes of the Black and Malfoy families, two politically-powerful and connected families, under his banner. Oh, he loathed Muggleborns alright, but only those who tried to change their world to fit the image of the Muggle one, and that was most of them. Those like Lily Potter had Voldemort's respect, as they adapted. Minerva McGonagall was another Muggleborn who had earned his respect.

"Wormtail, read the final article," commanded Voldemort. "I wish to hear what else my young nemesis believes."

"I-It appears to be nothing more than an extrapolation of his views on his mother and her d-defeat of you, my lord," Wormtail groveled. "Surely you don't need it reiterated?"

"Crucio," came the Dark Lord's reply. After holding the curse for the few seconds his current state allowed, Voldemort lifted the curse and said, "Do as I say, Wormtail. Just because something appears to be the same thing does not make it so. Even small details can be revealing."

Trembling, Wormtail began to read the article.

_**Lily Potter: Unsung Hero**_

_**By**_

_**Rita Skeeter, Special Correspondent**_

_When Harry Potter said weeks ago that he believes his mother to be the true hero behind You-Know-Who's downfall, I felt compelled to investigate the young boy's view. I spoke to several experts at both St. Mungo's and at the Department of Mysteries in the Ministry of Magic. _

"_Harry Potter's survival has astounded the medical and magical communities for a long time," says one Healer. "He was just a baby, clearly unable to defend himself, but he was saved while You-Know-Who was destroyed. I heard about the possibility of Lily Potter's sacrifice ages ago, but I still didn't believe it. It was the stuff of fantasy, a mother's love overcoming the killing curse. How many children were defended by their mothers during the War? How many of them lived? None, so there had to be something more to it. The recent revelations that Lily Potter was a practitioner of Old Magic was a surprise, but it also opens up whole new avenues for the community. Those of us in the medical community have struggled to handle the side effects of such debilitating curses as the Cruciatus and a badly-done Imperius Curse. But if Lily Potter could create a shield against the killing curse, how is it not possible that a shield or even a treatment for the other Unforgiveables at their worst could be discovered by studying the same branch of magic?" _

_The Department of Mysteries also spoke out. "We knew of Lily Potter's interest in Old Magic, and even attempted to recruit her at the time," says Thaddeus Bode, an Unspeakable for the Department. "She did project an interest in doing so, but did not commit after a talk with her husband, James Potter, and the headmaster of Hogwarts. Still, she secretly contacted us for aid when she discovered the Dark Lord had targeted her family. We had often attempted to seek entrance to Godric's Hollow to examine the ruin, but were rebuffed by Aurors under Albus Dumbledore's command, most notably Alastor Moody and his protégé at the time, Kingsley Shacklebolt. To finally discover what happened is a boon, and had we had this knowledge at the time, we would by now have discovered new ways of either blocking or minimizing the effects of the Killing Curse." _

_There you have it, ladies and gentlemen. Not only is Lord Potter's belief accurate, but it is shared by top officials at St. Mungo's and the Ministry of Magic's most secretive department. Now the question remains, why did we begin to see the Boy-Who-Lived as the defeater? That is more easily tracked down, to a speech given by Albus Dumbledore at Hogwarts, and a follow-up speech in the Ministry. The general feel of the speeches are the same, and the Ministry one is recorded for all to hear. Below is the text written in full: _

"_**At Godric's Hollow last evening, the Dark Lord You-Know-Who bypassed the powerful wards surrounding the Potter home and killed both Lily and James Potter. After he did this, he turned his wand on their young son, Harry. It is my belief he did this in order to destroy the Potter line for good, as the Potters have always been the shining beacons of hope to our world. **_

"_**Young Harry is now in the custody of loving family, and he will be educated of our world when the time is right. His pure spirit has banished the Dark Lord from our midst, and the Wizarding World is truly indebted to the young Mr. Potter. I ask you all to join me now in a toast to Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived!"**_

_It is apparent that the headmaster has set the young Lord Potter to be the hero, and despite his beliefs regarding Muggles and Muggleborn, has ignored and outright blocked the story of the Wizarding World's true hero, Lily Evans-Potter. Why would he do this? Why would he sell the young boy's story, perpetuate a lie? One can only assume it is because he wished to paint a target on a young boy, make him the hope and scapegoat of the Wizarding World, a position the young man has had to fill for three years now, because of the manipulations of a man we have trusted for far too long. _

_I echo the Headmaster's words in one way: we should all toast the hero who destroyed You-Know-Who, so I propose a new celebration tonight, in honor of Lily Potter, the Witch-Who-Won!_

Voldemort laughed aloud at the final paragraph. So they had chosen to give credit to the Muggleborn who had temporarily defeated him. The Wizarding World were slow to adapt and realize their mistakes, and Voldemort himself had fallen into that trap. He would not do so again; next time he aimed to destroy a family, he would ensure such protections could not and had not been utilized.

Meanwhile, in Hogsmeade, a large black dog stole a copy of the _Daily Prophet_ off a bench where a witch, now overseeing young toddlers, had laid it. Hurrying to the cave above the town, the dog transformed into Sirius Black, who used a quick spell to restore what had been damaged. As he read the articles in the paper, he went from dumbfounded to amazed to angry to shocked. He had no idea how much his pup had gone through, or what the boy's views were. Now he had learned at the same time as the rest of the Wizarding World, a testament to how distant their relationship was due to his current status, a status not helped by Dumbledore's inactions the year previous.

As for Dumbledore, he had best hope that the Ministry dealt with him before Sirius's name was cleared. Otherwise he would be tried for murder again, and this time it would be an actual murder. No one messed with Sirius Black's family, and that included his godson, the one good thing left in his life. Albus Dumbledore had buggered everything up for Sirius and for those he cared about; it was only right Sirius be able to destroy the man if he somehow managed to weasel out of the course of justice.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

Harry awoke the morning after the first task to what many young boys would consider a vision from heaven. Romilda Vane had decided he deserved a champion's homecoming, as she had called it, for facing the dragon and amazing the Wizarding World. It had been what many would call the most amazing experience of a young person's life, but for the fact that the act of sex had been of little help for the young Lord. No, the only way he had managed to avoid being made fun of (and thus having to kill Romilda for her petty insults) had been to imagine her in pain as he tortured her when he finally took her down to the chamber. That had been more than enough stimulation for him to complete the act and have Romilda proclaim his godhood in the realm of sex.

Once again, Harry had to be grateful for his new translations regarding the old rituals regarding a pure sacrifice. If the rituals had required the sacrifice be a virgin, he would not have been able to use Romilda without raising suspicions. Instead, he was able to make her even more dedicated to pleasing him, which he would use very soon to ensnare her as a sacrifice. The rituals he intended to use were among the few he had found that allowed the sacrifice to live; the only thing they lost was their magical abilities, and it was done in such a way that they would live through it. Harry had puzzled over the method for some time, until he realized that once again, people were overlooking the non-magical solutions. Whenever the ritual spoke of the 'blood of the pure sacrifice', it was always believed it meant one had to stab the sacrifice in the heart. But if the rituals were to allow the victim to live, that couldn't be possible. Looking up Muggle methods of extracting blood had revealed the practice of the Catholic Church of bloodletting; nowadays, Muggles had been able to bring the ability to draw blood from the body to a more effective measure, which would fit perfectly with the requirement that the blood of the sacrifice be infused with the blood of the ritual-taker.

Working through Gringotts, Harry had ordered those Muggle supplies, normally used for blood transfusions. In the magical sense, with the ritual, the blood would not affect Harry, but he would be taking the magical essence from the victim at a faster pace than the blood flow, which would allow the victim to live. Harry chuckled as he considered what he would be doing after the ritual. Romilda, lying next to him, shifted in her sleep, a contented look on her face. Harry reached out, tempted to slide his fingers along her smooth, flawless skin, but held back. He would have plenty of time to paint a bloody picture on that canvas before letting his pets deal with her; not the anacondas, no they were his familiars; his pets were the fleet of cookie cutter sharks, which he would be using to dispose of the bodies of his victims.

The one component of the rituals that was confounding Harry was the requirement for "blood of the virgin". This was not meant for the infusion, but more for the symbols that needed to be drawn on the sacrifice's body. They had to be drawn on the hands, head, feet, and heart, representing the six points of magic in the human body. They were required to be done in the blood of a virgin, and Harry had originally intended to use his own blood until now. So he would now need to handle that aspect of things. But where to get it? Even the Dark Apothecaries of Knockturn Alley didn't carry such a rare item, simply because when it was up for sale it was bought quickly. No, Harry would have to find a way to harvest the blood of a virgin himself. But who to use. . .

Romilda stirred and finally awoke, smiling prettily at Harry as she noticed him. "Last night was wonderful," she said, allowing a small yawn to slip past her. "Oh, excuse me. Where are we, anyways? It's not Gryffindor Tower."

"My House-Elf Dobby told me about this room, called it the Come and Go Room, or Room of Requirement," Harry said. "Its on the Seventh Floor and can become whatever the user needs." Harry had actually bullied the information out of Dobby in order to find out; the elf had taken Harry's dark nature hard, since he had spent so much time serving Lucius Malfoy. To learn that the 'great Harry Potter' was just as vicious and evil, though not to House-elves (surprising to Dobby), had been a revelation that shook Dobby's small world to the core. Harry had briefly considered simply conducting eh rituals in here, but realized that it would be of little use if he couldn't deal with the bodies with his pets. If he did kill anyone outside of the ritual requirements, though, he would certainly remember this room.

"Well, we'll definitely have to make use of it in the future, won't we?" Romilda asked suggestively, to which Harry nodded his agreement. The girl was a complete disgrace to her House and her class. He would be doing the Wizarding World a favor by getting rid of her. She was a daughter of a minor pureblood blood house, but behaved as though she were a Muggle trollop.

Dressing, the two of them headed down to the Great Hall for breakfast. Due to the fact that the First Task was on a Thursday, the teachers had decided to allow an early weekend since their students would still be too wound up. As such, breakfast had a weekend schedule, where instead of a single hour from seven to eight, it ran for three hours from seven to ten. It was nine a.m. when Romilda and Harry entered the Great Hall, which fell silent as Harry entered. He raised an eyebrow at the animosity he was feeling aimed at him from several people across the differing Houses and muttered to himself, "Rita must've put in extra effort this time around." Sitting across from Hermione, his other eyebrow joined its counterpart at the heated glare he was receiving. "Something wrong?"

Hermione responded by thrusting the morning's copy of the _Daily Prophet_ at him. Taking it gingerly (he half-suspected Hermione to have jinxed the paper for one reason or another) he made a show of reading the articles he and Rita had agreed to have released for today. He and Rita had beat out several articles the previous night, before he and Romilda had taken to the Room of Requirement. He had informed Rita that a staggered release would be best, and for some articles, she would need to hold them back until he gave the word. He had not been so foolish as to think what he said would not cause a stir amongst some of the Light Side traditionalists, who abhorred the idea of Light and Dark mixing or of there being a neutral ground.

After making his little show, Harry handed the paper back to Hermione and said, "While still a little sensationalist, which I can't fault Rita for since its in her nature, I'd say that those are fairly accurate compared to some of her usual articles."

"Harry, how could you just go out and insult the headmaster like that, after everything he's done for you? He made sure you were safe, did his best to keep you safe at Hogwarts, and-" Hermione was cut off as Harry let out a harsh, mocking laugh. She stopped, stunned that he was laughing at her. He had never acted like this before, and she wasn't sure she liked it. "What are you laughing at?"

"You, Hermione," Harry replied bluntly. "Tell me, do you actually have some semblance of actual intelligence, or is your brain limited to regurgitating written facts and bending over a table for anyone in authority?" _SLAP!_ The sound rang around the silent hall as Hermione, furious at Harry's insult, reacted. "Well, I can't say that was unexpected," Harry said, "but considering you've been by my side the past three years, facing all the dangers I have, for the most part, I'm amazed that you can sit there and claim the old bastard up there is anything resembling good. In fact, if my belief is correct, you're about to get a rude awakening as to the truly limited power Albus Dumbledore has."

Hermione looked confused, and Harry shook his head at the bookworm's absolute trust in school authorities. "Hermione, Dumbledore was entrusted with the safety of his students. Those articles reveal what he's done here for at least the past three years. What's to say there weren't goings-on before? If the Wizarding World is as conscientious about their childrens' safety as I think, Dumbledore will be receiving a visit very soon from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement."

Hermione, for her part, was still hurting from Harry's comment about her being some kind of trollop for those in authority, but she pushed aside her hurt feelings to use her logical abilities and examine what Harry said in the articles and just now. As she did so, she began to feel a bit sick. One of her primary belief systems was not only being challenged, but utterly destroyed by her best friend. She couldn't blame him for his actions; if she looked at things as he did, with angst and no logic, she would feel the same. She did feel the same, but what could they do to challenge the headmaster? They were just students! (1)

As if Harry's words had been prophetic in nature, pardon the pun, the doors to the Great Hall opened and Amelia Bones strode in with ten Aurors. The Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement was furious, her face white and taut with barely-concealed rage, and her monocle burrowing itself into her eye. "Albus Dumbledore, you are to surrender your wand and accompany myself and these Aurors to the Ministry of Magic, where you will answer questions regarding your actions. If you have not endangered the Wizarding World's future, these children, than you have nothing to hide. But Merlin have mercy upon you if you have, because no one in the Ministry will."

Dumbledore felt panic for the first time in years. His plans had already been in shambles once Harry had broken from him, but he had never considered the possibility that the boy would go this far. Voldemort had never attacked Hogwarts because he feared Dumbledore; if he was removed, Voldemort would feel no compulsion not to take control as soon as he was strong enough. But as he looked out over the sea of students, all of whom were gaping between he and Madam Bones, Dumbledore's panic resolved into resignation. Had this occurred in his office, it would be a simple matter to evade them until Voldemort rose, which he believed would be soon as the signs were once again showing in the Wizarding World. But with the students here, he could not take such action. Madam Bones was far too careful, and Dumbledore knew that the moment he surrendered, he would be placed in magic-dampening cuffs as a precaution.

He would allow them their moment of triumph. When Voldemort returned, they would release him. The only other one with a chance against Tom was Harry, and the Wizarding World would not seek to put such a burden on one so young. Dumbledore stood, moving down the aisle between the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw tables (Slytherin and Gryffindor being on opposite sides of the Great Hall due to their mutual enmity) and surrendered his wand. Besides, he still had a few tricks up his sleeve, favors he could call in. He knew Tiberius Ogden, despite his recent hammering by the House of Potter's onslaught across the Wizarding World, would be willing to represent him, and Tiberius was a fine orator and defense advocate.

The students of Hogwarts could only watch, grimly, as the headmaster was secured with magic-dampening cuffs and led from the hall by the Aurors. Madam Bones turned to the Head Table after watching the headmaster be led away and said, "Professor McGonagall, the Board of Governors will be meeting later today to handle the question of who will take over for the headmaster. As Deputy Headmistress-"

"I am no longer Deputy Headmistress, Madam Bones," Professor McGonagall replied. "I gave that responsibility to Professor Vector when it was pointed out to me, quite rightly, that my duties as teacher and deputy head left little time for me to act as Head of Gryffindor."

"Understood," Amelia said. "Still, the Board are likely to choose you as you have been running Hogwarts' day-to-day whenever the Headmaster was away on non-school business. Professor Vector, I am sure, will be ready to take over in a few years, but until that time. . ."

"I will await the Board's decision," McGonagall replied evenly. She knew, of course, that she would likely be elevated to Headmistress simply because she had been practically acting as Headmistress every time Albus was summoned to the Ministry, and for the most part handled a majority of the paperwork until she had stepped down. The only things Albus got involved in, truthfully, was keeping the Ministry from trying to gain more power over Hogwarts than was allowed by the Charter signed between the school and the Ministry soon after the Ministry's formation, and when someone needed to be expelled. Of course, Albus tended to err on the side of ignorance in those cases, often giving the perpetrator chance after chance until finally, they did something so horrendous that there was no other choice. If Sirius Black had shown homicidal tendencies prior to the incident with Severus Snape and Remus Lupin, Minerva was certain that the Headmaster would not have hesitated to expel him, despite political pressures at the time.

Voldemort had still been utilizing political overtures, though the Death Eaters had begun their campaign of terror. Voldemort had been a very cunning individual up until the time James and Lily had been sixth years. In fact, it had been during his first appearance as a fighter with the Death Eaters that James and Lily had defied him for the first time, keeping the students safe with a mixture of Charms and Transfiguration unrivaled even by Filius and Albus themselves. Minerva remembered VOldemort for who he had been; he had been a year above her in Hogwarts, and even than he had had an air of charisma about him. Where had the young man, so full of ambition for a world where all magicals were under one banner, gone?

Amelia Bones left the hall in silence. After a few more moments of uncomfortable silence, Harry turned to look at his bushy-haired friend and said, "As I said, Hermione. Dumbledore is not all-powerful. He is a man who has been trusted by too many for far too long. Its time he was retired." With that, Harry finished his breakfast (he had been eating during the entire confrontation) and headed towards the doors with Romilda by his side. He would be sending Ginny into town later on (the staff had advertised a three-day Hogsmeade Weekend for after the First Task), where she would be fetching the last bit of equipment he needed for his rituals (beyond the required blood of a virgin, which he would have to seek out himself).

Harry sensed that they were being followed, and decided to err on the side of caution. "Romilda, why don't you go ahead to the tower? I've got some things to do and than I'll see you there."

"Alright, but don't keep me waiting," Romilda said, flashing him a grin.

Harry led whoever was following him to the Room of Requirement, where he paced three times and then turned to say, with one eyebrow raised, "Are you going to skulk in the shadows, or are you going to come out?"

A few moments of silence passed before Draco Malfoy, Daphne Greengrass, Blaise Zabini, Tracey Davis, and Cho Chang came around the corner. Harry gestured to the Room and said, "Well, shall we get on with this?"

The six students entered the Room of Requirement, with the sole goal of forming an alliance (or in the case of Tracey Davis, supporting someone she was in an alliance of convenience with) that would bring the Wizarding World into a new age.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

Ginny Weasley sighed as she made her way down the side street of Hogsmeade where the store "Moste Ancient Magicks" was located. A ritual store, it was the only one that didn't exist solely in Diagon Alley, which was a crime in her mother's opinion. _No, don't think about her! She and that idiot Ron got you into this!_ Ginny thought to herself, trying to summon the usual bout of hatred she felt for her mother and Ron. She had always thought that she might have a chance to be Harry's friend, maybe even girlfriend one day, but that would never happen now. No matter how much you prettied it up, Ginny Weasley was a slave, and slaves could not become their master's wives; the best she could hope for would be a concubine, and that's if Harry didn't just sell her to someone.

Even if she admitted that Harry had limited options, she still felt angry at not only her family but Harry himself for this. How could he make such a choice, knowing what it would mean for her? She could never get married without his blessing; he was allowing her to continue with school, which most masters would never have allowed in the Wizarding World. She shuddered to think what someone like the Malfoy family would do with her if she belonged to them. Considering what Lucius Malfoy had done to her before, albeit without knowing the full damage the diary could do, she didn't want to experience anything that man's twisted mind thought up.

Entering the shop Harry had sent her to, she was met by a hag who looked as though she had been in a fight with one of the Tri-Wizard dragons. "What d'you need, girl? Or have you come here to offer yourself?" the hag leered at her, crooked teeth gleaming as she studied the innocent young thing who had walked into the shop. The girl would fetch a fine price from certain bidders, especially the ones who preferred to feed on humans still living such as Fenrir Greyback. Perhaps this was her lucky day.

"OUT!" came a shout from one of the clerks, a young woman with straight brown hair and a know-it-all expression. Ginny was taken aback when she realized who it was: Percy's ex-girlfriend, Penelope Clearwater. She had broken up with Percy the day after he was accepted into the Ministry over her, since he had said she would never get into the Ministry by bellowing and acting like a ruffian, thus proving the blood purists wrong. Penelope, not yet aware of Ginny's presence, glared at the hag who was constantly coming in here, claiming to be looking for something but Penelope was well-aware that the hag had a desire to kidnap either her or someone like her (a virgin) in order to utilize some of the more arcane and insidious rituals in the Wizarding World.

The hag scowled and left the building in a hurry, as Penelope's wand was out and twitching. Sighing, Penelope turned and started when she realized who the hag had been bothering. "Ginny? What are you doing here?" Despite her falling out with Percy, Penelope had a soft spot for his little sister. She had heard about the problems at Hogwarts that Molly Weasley had caused, and if not for Ginny's predicament, she would've felt a bit of vindictive pleasure that Molly was getting a just reward for her antics. The one and only time they had met, Penelope had been called a trollop for wearing some of the newer Muggle clothing.

"Uh, I need to get some stardust candles and a pair of runestones," Ginny said. "The runes need to be Saxon runes for blood and power, and the candles all need to be six inches high with a two-inch circumference." Harry had made sure Ginny had the specifications memorized before letting her leave after lunch; his morning had apparently been taken up discussing an alliance with some of the newer pureblood families, including the Malfoys. Draco had been cordial towards Ginny when they had met briefly after Harry's alliance was formed, but Ginny doubted it was because Harry asked Draco to. No, it was more likely that Draco was keeping himself from insulting her since she was part of the Potter Family, if only as a serf.

Penelope, for her part, was surprised at the request, but then remembered Harry Potter had begun a campaign to restore the Old Ways, a campaign Penelope couldn't help but think his own parents would consider barbaric. His mother, at least, would have felt that way. Yet the boy thought his mother would have accepted the Old Ways, even citing his own survival and trampling over the recent history of the wizarding world. She was surprised the Headmaster and others hadn't attempted to smack him down a peg or two. Then again (Penelope shivered) the headmaster hadn't been all that helpful when Lockhart had been making his advanced. It was Percy who had stepped between her and Lockhart, and took Lockhart's attempts to attack her long enough for her to stun the man. Percy had been trying to talk her into going to the Board of Governors when Lockhart had gone into the Chamber of Secrets with Harry Potter and come out without his memories.

Snapping back to the present, Penelope smiled at Ginny and said, "Okay, I'll get those wrapped up. I'm guessing it'll be charged to the Potter Accounts?" Ginny nodded silently, and Penelope quietly wrapped up the requested items, charging them to the Potter Accounts. Waiting for a minute or two after Ginny left, Penelope quickly cast a Notice-Me-Not Charm on herself and locked up the shop. She quickly found Ginny trotting up the path to Hogwarts and followed at a distance. Her natural Ravenclaw curiosity was driving her to follow the girl and see what Potter was up to, while her ambition (which had she not been Muggleborn would've landed her in Slytherin) was telling her that if she caught Potter in an illegal act, even his position as Head of An Ancient and Noble House wouldn't protect him and she could possibly wrangle this into a position in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.

Due to the visiting schools, the normal protections against intruders had been relaxed slightly, so Penelope was able to enter the school with little difficulty. She followed Ginny to an unused classroom, where she was meeting Harry. Potter seemed _darker_ somehow, or perhaps it was just more confident combined with arrogance that came naturally to people who thought the Wizarding World was their sandbox and no one else's. "You got the equipment, then? No problems?" Harry asked promptly. Ginny handed the equipment to him, and he looked it over, nodding approvingly. "Good, Ginny. You're a good worker. Believe it or not, I don't intend on keeping you a slave for the rest of your life. If Fred and George's plans pan out, I'll sell your freedom to them and you'll be able to go about your life without worries. Though, of course, you'll need to swear an oath to never reveal what you've seen me do or plan. I won't allow anyone or anything to stand in my way, Ginny, not even you and your family." It was said with an expression of regret, but the underlying tone of malice was clear to all.

"Winky!" Potter called suddenly, and a House Elf popped into the room. "Take these to the Chamber. Also, set up the other equipment. I should be able to use it fairly soon, if everything goes according to plan." The House Elf nodded and took the ritual equipment away with another pop. "Good, good. Now, Ginny, go. I need some time to myself." Ginny left the room, and Penelope smiled. This was her chance to show the Ministry they made a mistake.

A red spell struck her in the chest, sending her to the ground. She had only a few seconds of consciousness in which she saw Harry Potter waving his wand, cancelling her spell, before she sank into darkness.

_**Chamber of Secrets**_

Penelope awoke to find herself bound, barely clothed, to some kind of wooden platform. Looking around, she saw snake motifs lining the walls, and above her, a Hogwarts crest with a phoenix and a serpent. She recognized the description from that morning's articles from Rita Skeeter. This was the Chamber of Secrets, remodeled to suit Harry Potter's image of the Wizarding World. She turned her head slightly, shivering, and saw the boy himself standing nearby. He smirked, and waved his wand; the platform shrunk slightly so that she was slightly above his waist.

Harry walked over, one hand running along her right leg, a chilling smile on his face. "Ah, Penelope Clearwater," he said mockingly, "always so self-righteous, always an uptight bitch. Even when you were dating Percy, you were like this. No wonder neither he nor the Ministry saw you as anything more than a throw-away. But I must be glad now that both you and Percy were such prudes, doing nothing more than snogging. Otherwise, I wouldn't have such an excellent donor for this particular ingredient for the rituals I intend to use, nor a healthy supply that can be sold off."

"Y-you're going to kill me?" Penelope stuttered, trying to free herself without magic. She had become so dependent on her wand that she couldn't think of a way to handle these types of situations without it. She knew women could escape from people who tied them up; countless women had done it in the past. _But countless others couldn't_, a nasty little voice said in her head.

"I'm going to bleed you out, yes," Harry said without mercy or pity. "You should've left well enough alone. Then again, how could you? You, the rule-abiding Ravenclaw who was snubbed by the Ministry for no reason except your blood? You, who would follow someone who made a strange purchase on behalf of her well-known master?"

Penelope jerked her head around (having been trying to see how her attempts to free her left hand were going) and gaped at Harry. "You knew I would follow her?"

"Of course I did. Some new allies of mine pointed out that you were working a dead-end job in that rituals shop and that you were intent on proving the Ministry wrong. I still needed the Blood of a Virgin for the rituals, and it was far easier to bring you into Hogwarts, where no one will think to look for you, than to grab one of the students here; I know very few virgins, and most of them I have plans for other than bleeding out."

"What are you going to do this world?" she asked quietly.

"I'm going to restore it, and I'm going to destroy anyone who gets in my way, including some of the more pathetic traditions of the Wizarding World," Harry said. He leaned forward, smiling, and said, "Including Hogwarts."

"W-What?"

"You see, Voldemort is alive, Penelope, and I have a feeling he'll be open to an alliance between us when he regains power. He'll do anything to keep me from staying as Dumbledore's little pet, including granting me a few favors. Hogwarts as it stands is a breeding ground for infighting and bigotry from all sides. It won't change, not unless it no longer exists. Voldemort wishes to create this world in the image of Salazar Slytherin, whose ambition and cunning was the _very foundation_ for the creation of a School of Magic in a puritanical society! I think he'll find the idea of destroying the school that others have claimed over Slytherin to be an excellent deterrent in future rebellions. Especially if those who would be most likely to rebel are already inside, waiting to fight him."

"You're insane, Potter," Penelope spat. "Dumbledore won't let you get away with this."

"Dumbledore's been taken into custody, Clearwater," Harry said, using magic to attach the transfusion tubes to Penelope at the jugular and thigh veins. Placing jars below the open end of the tubes, Harry turned the dial just above where the blood was collating and allowed it to freely course out of Penelope's body. She began to go into shcok, gasping for breath as the blood flowed free and fast down the tubes into the jars. Harry charmed it so that a new jar would appear once the current ones were fill. "Oh, I should mention I added a spell to speed up the exsanguinating process. A few years ago, a shade of Voldemort told me something, and I think those words are fitting here."

Harry took a couple steps back, forcing Penelope to look at him through teary eyes, and paraphrased, "Amazing, isn't it, what magic can do when one puts their mind to it, mixing magical and muggle methods? Here you are, Penelope Clearwater, abandoned by your friends, your boyfriend, and the Ministry you so hoped to join, all because of the blood that is now escaping your veins. I'm going to sit here and watch you die, Penelope. I'm in no hurry, and unlike with me, there's no Phoenix who's going to save you."

The acceleration spell finished its work, and Penelope Clearwater, her eyes beginning to glaze over with the opaqueness of death, lay still and abnormally white on the wooden structure. Altogether, there were nearly 12 jars of Virgin's Blood, and Harry only needed two for his own rituals. Luckily, he was now in an alliance with two families who specialized in import/export of various goods, including illegal ones. He would write to Messrs. Greengrass and Malfoy, and Madam Zabini. He doubted they would be opposed to such a lucrative offer, especially as Harry required only a measly ten percent of the net profits, allowing them to take the majority share.

Harry fired off a spell at the body before casting a Levitation Charm and hovering it over to Juan, who had been staring morosely at the body. "_The bones have been softened so you can easily digest her,_" Harry hissed. "_Consider it a commendation for your attempts with the dragon._"

"_Thank you, master,_" Juan hissed, before extending his jaw and proceeding to swallow the 18-year-old's body.

Content for the moment, Harry headed back up to the surface. While en route to Gryffindor Tower, he was weigh laid by Professor McGonagall. "Lord Potter, could I have a moment of your time?" she asked, her formal address and use of his title showing this was not about school business. Nodding, Harry followed the transfiguration professor to her office, where she sat behind her desk and observed him. "How is your current relationship with Ms. Granger and the Messrs Creevey?"

"Hermione's a friend, and she's learning that not everything in books and school is correct or even to be trusted," Harry said. "I think our friendship has been somewhat damaged, but destroyed. As for Colin and Dennis, well, the term Stalker comes to mind, Professor. Or perhaps paparazzi."

McGonagall sighed, "I see. Mr. Potter, the Creeveys and Grangers have both petitioned to remove their children from the school, citing your recent article about the safety of Hogwarts. A number of other Muggleborn families have done the same, but their children have managed to assuage their fears by pointing out you were the only one involved. Ms. Granger, as your constant companion, has not been so lucky, and unfortunately, the Creeveys somehow believe you and their sons are close friends. A result of the boys being your 'stalkers', as you say."

Harry felt a cold chill run up his spine. He needed Hermione here! If she left, she would likely go to another school, and without all the anxiety of the school tournament and her own troubles, she would have time to put pieces together. She was curious, he knew, about what he was doing, but she was so busy keeping things together at Hogwarts that she wasn't able to move as quickly. But at another school, without the distraction of the Tournament and the Houses infighting? No, he couldn't let that happen.

"You wouldn't be telling me all this if I could do something, Professor," Harry said. "What is it you think I should do?"

"I assume you'll only be doing this for Ms. Granger, but that's understandable," Professor McGonagall said. "You can make her a protectorate of the House of Potter. This is not the same as the bond you formed with Ms. Weasley. She can go about her business, without worrying about being harassed by people who think her beneath them or even her own family. She will not be in your service, but she may work for you on certain projects without needing to be paid out of gratitude. Nothing more."

"I wouldn't force Hermione to be a slave," Harry said, which was true. A slave bond made an attempt at sacrifice worthless. The Slave Bond would make the person a willing sacrifice, which the Old Magic governing the rituals he intended to use couldn't allow. "What do I need to do?"

"Simply fill out this form, and I shall send it to the Ministry of Magic," McGonagall said. "You should also speak with Ms. Granger about her regard for authority. She recently told me something that sheds light on her unwillingness to see how a student could defy a teacher or the headmaster."

Harry nodded, and filled out the forms McGonagall handed to him, making Hermione a protectorate of the House of Potter. That should end the Grangers attempts to take his Second Sacrifice from him. "I'll speak to Hermione when I get a chance," Harry said, and left the room.

Making his way towards Gryffindor Tower, Harry found himself once again weigh laid. This time, he was thrust into a classroom by a strong hand; he circled back around, his wand coming up to point at his assailant.

Severus Snape, his own obsidian wand pointed at Harry, sneered, "You and I need to have a little chat, Potter."


	11. Chapter 11 - NEW

_**A/N: Here's where things begin to shift. Also, some dialogue in this chapter will suggest a frequently-used cliché subplot, but please know that I am NOT GOING to use it. I personally find it one of the least-likely clichés… you'll know it when you see it. Put what you think it is in your reviews.**_

Chapter Eleven

"Exactly what kind of chat are you expecting to have with me, Snape?" Harry asked, raising an eyebrow even as he began mentally preparing himself for what was to come. He knew Snape had been watching him lately, planning for this moment, and he doubted it was going to end in any way except for violence. The man was incapable of letting go of the past, and he was also very loyal to the Headmaster (probably thanks to Dumbledore standing up for him during that trial), which meant that this confrontation was going to come once Harry had finally gotten rid of Dumbledore.

Of course, he had expected this confrontation to happen once Dumbledore was dead, not once he was removed from Hogwarts. Then again, with Dumbledore's removal, Snape's was unlikely to be far behind with McGonagall as Headmistress. If Snape wanted to continue on here, he would either have to grow up (something he was incapable of doing) or he would have to find a way to return Dumbledore to power, which meant he would have to manhandle Harry into doing something.

"Your little rebellion is beginning to cost more than your miserable life is worth," Snape sneered down at him. "Do you have any idea the mockery you've made of Hogwarts and Magical Britain? Do you even understand the resulting chaos you've inflicted by your childish antics?"

"Bold words coming from a man who's incapability to grow up has caused more troubles for Britain than I ever have," Harry sneered right back. At Snape's expression of disbelief, Harry said, "You think Voldemort's coming back, right?"

"Do not speak the Dark lord's name!" Snape snarled. "And yes, it is obvious to anyone who can read the signs."

"Then why are you such an incompetent teacher?" Harry asked. "There are two fields that are needed for war, and both fields require POTIONS for their recruits to have a passing grade in. Your absurd standard and despicable teaching methods have doused the ability to bolster the Auror and Healer ranks. Combined with Lucius Malfoy's influence on Fudge, I'd say if VOldemort did return, the Wizarding World here in Britain would be fucked over."

"If the students here cannot handle the demands of such a prestigious school, they ought not to attend," Snape sneered, confident in his own belief that the way he acted was the right way.

"Then you're nothing more than Voldemort's lackey, anyways," Harry replied, quick-drawing his wand and leveling it at Snape, who stiffened at the younger wizard's actions. "Now, I'm guessing you want me to recant everything, get Dumbledore put back in power, and go back to being the little puppet that he can control and you can abuse. Well, you fail, Snape. I won't do anything of the sort. So let's get to the real reason you cornered me. Reducto!" The spell shot at Snape, who deflected it and sent a silent _Sectumsempra_ of his own creation towards Harry, intending to wound the boy long enough for him to weaken. That would allow Snape to force a potion down his throat which would remove the rebellious nature and return the Golden Boy to his former status.

Harry proved agile, however, and ducked away, rolling behind a pair of desks and coming up, sending a silent Parseltongue spell at Snape, who dodged out of the way. The spell struck the wall behind Snape, and it was destroyed in a shower of debris. Snape sent another of his custom spells, Langlock, at Harry, who shielded against the spell and hissed out another parseltongue spell, pointing his wand to a point just above Snape. A loose bit of rock shot out of where it had been lodged and hurtled towards Snape's greasy head.

Snape shielded above his head, but this left his body open to attack. Harry shot a series of curses at Snape: a Reductor caught him in the shoulder, shredding the robes and leaving an area injury not unlike one would receive when burned. A Stunner just barely missed Snape's ear, while the final spell, a simple tripping hex, sent him tumbling to the ground.

Snarling, Snape fired off a round of Reductors in Harry's general area, catching the 14-year-old in the chest with two of them. The boy stumbled back, his wand flying from his hand. Snape stood and summoned the boy's wand to his hand with a gesture. He did not use wandless magic often, simply because of how tiring it could be; but he had explored the branch alongside Lily during their friendship, until it had been spoiled by that arrogant prick, James Potter. To this day, Snape believed that Lily had been fed a love potion to fall in love with James Potter, but he had no idea who would have brewed it. Black was the most likely culprit, as despite his arrogance he was quite good at Potions (though no match for Snape, of course). If Lupin were able to handle sucha complicated brewing procedure, he would be able to handle making Wolfsbane on his own, and Pettigrew, well, there wasn't much to say, was there?

Moving forward, Snape placed one dragon-hide boot on the boy's chest and pressed down hard, eliciting a wheeze from the young man. "Now, Potter, we do this the hard way," Snape said, leveling his wand at the green eyes that reminded him of his one time love. "Legilimens!" Snape knew Dumbledore would not like he what he was about to do, but as the old man and his former lover were fond of saying, it was for the greater good. The boy's mind would be hollowed out and replaced with a personality that would act roughly the same, but be completely obedient to the headmaster and, more importantly, to Snape himself. Because if there was one thing Snape was, it was a consummate Slytherin, and he knew the possibility the Dark Lord would win was growing with each year that the boy remained ignorant of his fate. If Snape could only survive by turning the boy over to the Dark Lord, well, than that was what he would do, and this would make it all the more easier.

Entering the boy's mind was, of course, ridiculously easy. Snape had been making in-roads into the boy's mind since his first year. He had ignored most of the boy's mind, of course, mainly keeping the line of communication open so that he could ensure the boy's lies would never fool him. But now, he delved deeper into the fragile psyche of the teenager, ruthlessly tearing through the areas he had not scratched the surface of before. Tearing through one area, Snape only had an instant to release the pervasive darkness that surrounded him before a fiery pain erupted, sending him mentally scurrying back. A thrust of power sent Snape's mind outward and back into his body, and he stumbled back onto the ground, dropping the wands in his hands as he gripped his head in severe pain.

A rustling sound brought Snape's dark, tunnel-like eyes turning upward to see a green-eyed glare aimed at him, the green irises interspersed with malevolent red. "Well, that wasn't very pleasant," Potter nearly hissed, sounding far too much like the Dark Lord for Snape's liking. "But then again, you've always been an arrogant little man, Snape. You've always acted the part of the big bad bat of the dungeons, arbitrarily declaring that the students aren't good enough for your beloved craft. Well, let's face it, Snape. Potions is like _cooking_, and very few wizarding kids, or even Muggle ones, like cooking for themselves. They'd much rather have their mothers do it for them. Guess that's why you have that long hair, hmm? Imitating poor, demented mother, are we?"

"HOW DARE YOU!" Snape roared, ignoring the pain as he shot forward, hands wrapping around the teenager's scrawny throat. He tightened his grip, enjoying the slight tingle of pleasure at hearing the teen's strangled yelp. He had dealt with the boy's father, and to have Lily's worst wit turned on him by a cretin wearing the face of James Potter was far too much. He glared down at Potter, who met his gaze, glasses slightly askew. In the next instant, Snape's hands released the boy. This was not because of anything Potter had done, but because someone had cast the Cruciatus Curse on him from behind.

Harry backed up into a desk, carelessly summoning his wand to point at the writhing form of Snape as he looked up to meet the whirling eye of his unexpected savior. "Thanks, Professor Moody," Harry panted.

Moody nodded to the boy, a look of wild pleasure on his face as he gestured behind him at the door, which shut again. Harry could feel the magic weaving back into place, blocking sound from escaping. "I tell you, Potter," Moody said, keeping his wand on Snape, "there's nothing better than to end the life of a pathetic Death Eater whose only escaped Azkaban thanks to the sympathies of a senile old coot."

"I thought you were friends with Professor Dumbledore," Harry said softly, shifting his wand from the writhing Snape to the man holding a wand on the Potions teacher. "Even if you disagree with his sympathies, I doubt Mad-Eye Moody would call his old friend a senile old coot."

Moody met the boy's eyes, and lifted the Cruciatus Curse on Snape. A quick body-bind kept the man from interfering. "You're a sharp one, Potter," Moody said. "Moody's alive, but I'm not him."

"You're the one that put my name in the Goblet," Harry said. "Why?"

"My master needs you for something, and he'll get you, one way or another," Moody said, his wand raising to meet Harry's. "So, tell me, Potter, am I going to have to obliviate you."

"Since I have to speak to your master at some point, I don't see any reason not to continue as we have been," Harry said coolly. "I won't reveal your secret, even if I don't know who you are. As for whatever _he_ has planned, the less you tell me, the better. I assume whatever it is, he'll be monologuing at some point so I can try to talk to the man."

"He is eager to speak with you, as well, Potter," Moody said. "But he is just as cautious about his plans. He's forbade me from telling you anything, with the Unbreakable Vow. If I even _start_ to tell you, well, I'll die."

"Very well," Harry said. "Now, it seems Snape here has awakened something in me, something Tom left behind."

"Tom?"

"Your master's original name," Harry supplied. "You can ask him what I mean, if you want." Harry smirked at Moody's shaking head. Or whoever it was behind Moody's face. Maybe the Marauder's Map would come in useful again. "Now, it's given me something I need to try. If you want to watch, go ahead. But first, we should swear not to reveal one another's secrets. We can't do the Unbreakable Vow, since we don't have a bonder, but I believe a Wizard's Oath will be enough to suffice. Don't you agree?"

Moody nodded sharply, and the two exchanged oaths before the impersonator stepped back, allowing the boy to lift the body bind on Snape's head, but nothing else. "Release me at once, Potter!" Snape snarled at the boy.

"No, no," Harry replied, tsking as he came to stand next to the greasy-haired man. "We've got something to sort out, Snape. See, I don't know what you did, but it's given me some _information_ that Tom had in his mind when he came to kill me. I don't have all of his memories or spell knowledge, unfortunately, but I do have an interesting bit of information." Here, Harry's face twisted into a mask of hatred. "So, you told Voldemort the information that sent him after my parents. You and Wormtail together destroyed my family. And Dumbledore's been protecting you. I wonder, Snape, if the 'Dark Lord' you heard the prophesied downfall of isn't Voldemort, but Dumbledore?"

Snape scoffed, and said, "Believe what you like, Potter. In the end, you have no choice. You must face him."

"Must I?" Harry asked, raising an eyebrow. "Hmm, that sounds an awful lot like 'fate', or something equally foolish to believe in. The fact is, Snape, every person, Wizard, Muggle, whatever, makes the choices that define who they are. Besides, I'd wager the only reason Tom believed Trelawney's partial prophecy is because Dumbledore believed it. He had Wormtail as his spy by that point, after all. Sirius said Wormtail had been passing information to him for over a year before that Halloween night. Now, Snape, I hope you've enjoyed your cushy little existence these past 13 years. It ends now. _Crucio!_" The magic of torment passed down through Harry's arm and out of his wand, striking Snape dead center. Four years of hate, piled atop the hatred of learning the man's part in his parents' deaths, conducted through the wand. Snape's scream, combined with his inability to move due to the remainder of the body bind, made for an interesting effect.

Finally, Harry ended the curse, his eyes having gained a reddish hue during his torture of Snape. This was not something that happened to every wizard; indeed, only the most powerful and emotional wizards were affected by exposure to Dark Magic. The reddish hue subsided as Harry leveled his wand one last time at Snape, this time at his torso. His reading with the Parselmagic books had shown him that most Parselmagic was guided by the desires of the user, and that simple, one word commands were the norm. He hissed, "_Destroy._"

In that instant before his death, Severus Snape (for the first time since he was faced with a transformed werewolf) showed fear, fear of his enemy's son. Then the physical form of Severus Snape detonated with force, throwing both Harry and Moody back; they were drenched in blood and bits of bone, the fleshy mess of Snape's remains and innards painting the walls and floor. "That was some curse, Potter," Moody growled out, inwardly making a note to warn his master not to anger Potter now that the boy was willing to talk. "I'll back up whatever story you use."

"Thank you," Harry replied. "What is your name, anyways?"

"Best not to tell you until everything's said and done, Potter," Moody said. "Operational security, as the real Moody would say."

Harry nodded, and said, "Well, we better go tell McGonagall about this. Hopefully she'll be able to convince Slughorn to take over completely." Moody nodded, and the two of them left the room (after cleaning themselves off) and entered McGonagall's office.

Minerva, for her part, was shocked to see the two enter her office (as she had only recently spoken to Potter about the situation with Ms. Granger and the Creeveys). "Mr. Potter, Professor Moody, what can I do for you?"

"Professor, I-" Harry began, then paused as though searching for the right words. Seeing the boy acting as though he were at a loss, Moody placed a 'comforting hand' on the boy's shoulder.

"I'll tell her, kid," he growled softly. Turning his normal eye on McGonagall, he said, "A little bit ago I came across Potter and Snape caught up in a duel. Snape had tried to legilimens the boy and somehow, it backfired. Potter found out something that Snape and Dumbledore were keeping from him, and well, it got deadly."

Minerva closed her eyes, begging the gods for patience. She had little doubt that Moody meant that Snape was dead. Swearing to herself she wouldn't judge until she knew what had happened, she asked, "Potter, what is it you found out?"

"Snape told Voldemort some prophecy, and that's what sent him after my parents," Harry replied, his tone wooden. Minerva's shock was eclipsed as she realized that the boy was reacting the way he was because he didn't know what was going to happen. Well, she could hopefully alleviate his concerns.

"Mr. Potter, if what you say is true, and I assume Professor Moody will back you up on this, than I doubt anyone will try anything against you," Minerva said softly, leaning forward to tilt the boy's chin towards her. Those green eyes looked blank from the shock the boy was no doubt feeling. "You recall our conversation about what can and cannot be dealt with at school?" At the boy's nod, Minerva continued, "Well, this falls in roughly the same category as Mrs. Weasley, and considering Severus's actions led to your family's death, the Ministry is unlikely to pursue a case against you."

"What about Professor Dumbledore?" asked Harry.

"Leave Albus to me," Minerva replied. "Now, Alastor, get Harry checked out and back to his dormitories. I'll visit the Ministry about this incident myself. I trust you can look after the castle until I return?"

"Of course," Moody growled, and Minerva watched the two leave the office before she turned to the fireplace, a look of anger coming to her face. She had long respected Albus Dumbledore, since she herself had been a student here, but this was too much, even for her. There was no way she would allow that man to come near her students again. No, there was no way in hell. It was time to end Dumbledore's legacy of deceptions and speeches about 'the greater good'.

_**Department of Magical Law Enforcement**_

Amelia Bones was staring down Albus Dumbledore in the interrogation room when a Lynx patronus entered the room and said in the deep, calming voice of Kingsley Shacklebolt, "Director, Professor McGonagall has arrived and wishes to speak to both yourself and Headmaster Dumbledore urgently."

"I wonder what's happened now," Amelia muttered before sending back a reply Patronus to tell Kingsley to bring the woman in.

After McGonagall was in the room and the door sealed behind her, the Scottish woman let loose her tirade, utterly ignoring Amelia's presence as her beady eyes narrowed in on Dumbledore, who was looking for all the world like he was enjoying himself. He wouldn't be for long, if Minerva had anything to say about it.

"I cannot believe you," Minerva began, "all these years, and you knew! You protected that man with hardly a word to why you trusted him! You protected him, kept him from being fired when he had no place as a teacher, and kept him safe! Why? Was it for his sake, or for yours, Albus?" Here, tears began to form but she refused to let them fall. "How could you let him walk free, knowing what he'd done? How could you let him torment the boy, knowing that it was his fault?"

"Minerva, I-" Albus began, but was cut off by Amelia.

"Professor, what are you talking about? I assume you're speaking about Severus Snape," Amelia said, looking confused.

Calming herself, Minerva looked the two straight in the eye and said, "Severus Snape is dead."

"How?" demanded Dumbledore, looking stricken. He had protected the man for so long; how could someone have figured the man was a spy? To Dumbledore's mind, this was the only logical explanation, despite Minerva's impassioned speech. More than likely she was just stressing. If she weren't too old for it, Dumbledore would wonder if she was going through that time of month. He'd heard rumors that it was a horrible experience for men who were involved with women, which he thankfully had never dealt with.

Dumbledore's assumption about Snape's fate was shattered when Minerva replied stonily, "Harry Potter killed him, as retribution for setting the Potters up as You-Know-Who's targets. What's this about a prophecy from Sybill, Albus?"

Dumbledore's eyes had dimmed at Minerva's words, and he sighed heavily. He had been afraid of this. The prophecy had never said how Harry would become the Dark Lord's equal. He had assumed that it meant they would each hold something of each other within them, but no; it appeared that Harry would indeed become the Dark Lord's equal in the way he had feared the most: by becoming a Dark Lord himself. He had to convince the two women in front of him to listen to reason.

But as he met their gaze, he knew it was folly. Amelia's lips were thinned, and it was clear that he had missed something vital. "What?" he asked, rather dumbly for the first time in years.

"So, you knew Snape told Voldemort something that led him to seek out the Potters, and you protected him, allowed him to bully the son of the couple he helped to kill, and kept him from facing justice for his crimes?" Amelia all but snarled. "Albus Dumbledore, you are under arrest for Conspiracy to Commit Murder in relation to the deaths of James and Lily Potter, Conspiracy to Commit Child Abuse, Aiding and Abetting a Felon, and Obstruction of Justice. You will be remanded to Azkaban Prison until your trial date. SHACKLEBOLT!" The tall, black Auror entered the room, looking troubled. He had heard the entire conversation. "Get a team of Aurors together, and escort Mr. Dumbledore to Azkaban's high security wing."

"Yes, Director," Shacklebolt replied.

Minerva left the DMLE later that night, having had to file reports for Amelia to ensure the charges stuck. No doubt Harry and Alastor would be getting visits in the coming days to confirm what happened with Snape. She began to feel guilty over Dumbledore's incarceration, but shook the thought from her head. She reminded herself that Dumbledore had brought this on himself, by doing what he had done. What's more, he had brought Snape's death about himself, by failing to realize what would happen if Harry Potter or, God forbid, Sirius Black ever learned the truth. Dumbledore had told her about Sirius's innocence the night before his incarceration, believing she would need to know. It appeared he had suspected Harry might move against him. Though she doubted he had ever believed this was what it would lead to.

_**A/N: Okay, I was originally going to put Hermione and Harry's conversation, plus the aftermath of Snape's legilimency attack, into this chapter, but the way things came out, this was a pretty good place to end the chapter. But next chapter will have those two things. Possibly something else, but I won't say what just in case things don't pan out that way. **_


	12. Chapter 12

_**A/N: Okay, so this chapter took a turn I didn't expect. But its still in line, for the most part, with my intentions for this fic. So all's good. Just some things got moved up. If you're confused by what I mean after the chapter, read the bottom-side A/N.**_

_**Oh, and some of the spell stuff in this is Latin, and some of it is just stuff I made up. **_

_**I've also included a more in-depth explanation of what each 'sacrifice' entails and what it endows the user with. Hope the explanations are up to par with everyone's expectations. With each chapter, this 'world' I'm building grows and sometimes I'm not sure if I'm keeping everything straight. Though usually if that happens, I get someone telling me so. **_

Chapter Twelve

At Hogwarts, Harry found himself ushering Hermione into a classroom. There was throbbing pain between his temples, but he ignored it, knowing that he needed to get things dealt with on Hermione's end as soon as possible. There was no way of telling when Hermione's parents would make their move, and he needed her under his protection so that he could use her later on in the year. Most people would just choose another person, but the truth was there was more behind his choice of Hermione than just convenience. Each sacrifice held a component of mind, body, and spirit, spirit in this case being charisma.

In this case, the Muggleborn sacrifice would effect the mind's sharpness, the attention to detail, and allowed one to focus the mind's defenses, to ensure something like what Snape had done could never happen so easily again; it was one of the main reasons Harry had chosen Hermione as the Muggleborn sacrifice.

The pureblood sacrifice would focus the charismatic nature of the recipient, focusing their skills in manipulating others to do as they asked; and the Vane family had the exact kind of nature Harry was looking for. They were master manipulators, above even the Malfoys, as they remained invisible to the political sphere but their preferences were often served. Their alliance with Albus Dumbledore, through their cousin Emmeline Vance, had served them well, but things were changing. Harry would use their only daughter as one step in his plans for the wizarding world.

Finally, the half-breed sacrifice depended on the type of half-breed in question. With werewolves, one gained the physical prowess and strength of the werewolf but without the need to change nor the hunger for human flesh that was dominant in the minds of wild werewolves. With any branch of Veela, one gained the charismatic aura that caused others to fall under the dominion of the one wielding it, as well as gaining the athleticism and physical prowess that Veela were bestowed with as a safeguard against those who would harm them (rapists and other sexual sadists). This was why Harry had selected Fleur Delacour for the sacrifice in that case, and she would be the final one. He just needed to have everything prepared; he was focusing on his ability to cast the Imperius Curse and control it over long distances. He would not be casting the curse on her, but on the school of cookie cutter sharks that he had in the Chamber.

Closing the door to the classroom, Harry cast a series of privacy spells, wincing as a sharp pain tore through his temples. Hermione noticed this, and asked, "Harry, what's going on? Did something happen?"

"I'll tell you later, Hermione," Harry said, placing a hand to his temple. "But we need to deal with what's going on with your parents. McGonagall said you had something to tell me?"

Hermione, for the first time, looked nervous. "Yes," she said slowly. "I-I know I haven't been supportive when it comes to you and Dumbledore. I-I know you think I'm naïve, Harry, that I worship teachers and think they're saints. But that's not it at all." She quieted after that, and Harry looked up at her. Reaching out slightly with his magic, he could feel her nervousness. She shifted, as though she felt his magic checking her mood, but she didn't say anything; unsurprising, since the method he was using was yet another of Salazar Slytherin's tricks, one of the reasons he had been the Founders' disciplinarian rather than one of the others, who were not skilled in that branch of magic.

Harry said, "Hermione, you can trust me. I'm not going to spread rumors or anything; if anyone can understand the desire to not have rumors flying around, it's me."

Hermione frowned and said, "Then what are you doing with that Skeeter woman and such?"

Harry sighed as another spike of pain shot through his temple, and he explained as patiently as he could: "With Rita, I'm in control. She won't dare cross me, or both she and the Daily Prophet will be ruined. The House of Potter might not have as much power in Britain as it once did, but Rita and the Prophet have international attention on them now. They'll play nice, or they'll find themselves bankrupt."

Hermione sighed and leaned back against one of the chairs in the room. "Remember when we were first years and didn't have to worry about politics, international pressure, and evil lords trying to run amok?"

"Actually, we always had to worry about the last one," Harry pointed out, and Hermione's lips twitched. "Now, stop trying to distract me, Hermione. We need to get this done, or I can't stop your parents."

Hermione sighed, and nodded. "Okay, Harry. The truth is, I'm afraid of teachers. That's why I try to please them so much."

"Afraid of failing them?" Harry asked.

"No. Afraid they'll hurt me," Hermione whispered. She turned and lifted the blazer of her school uniform. Pulling the white dress shirt up out of where it had been tucked, she revealed a thin, white scar standing against the skin of her back. Harry straightened almost imperceptibly, his hand drifting backwards to his own scar. Uncle Vernon had not spared the belt, but Hermione's scar wasn't one from a belt. It was from. . . . "A ruler," Hermione said quietly. "My 2nd year of primary school, the teacher was very old school. My parents are quite wealthy, for Muggles, and so they could afford to send me to a day-time private school. It took a while for them to find out what was happening. But by then. . ."

"By then, your fear had taken over and you did everything you could to appease the man who tormented you," Harry finished softly. He knew all too well the reasoning behind such an action; he had made such a choice himself with Vernon.

"Yes," Hermione said quietly. "Your uncle?" Harry nodded. Hermione chuckled sadly. "Amazing, isn't it, that we have such a similar background in some ways, but we're so different?" Hermione said, brushing her hair back. "Much as I learn about this world, I'll never belong in it like you do, Harry. The Potter family is old, and respected. But me? I'm just a common _Mudblood_," Hermione spat.

Harry kept quiet, allowing Hermione to rage against the system of the wizarding world. It was so like Hermione, to ignore the fact that the other Muggleborns were being, for the most part, accepted and that the only thing holding her back in the wizarding world was her own arrogance and sense of worth, even if she appeared to have low self-worth at the moment.

Finally, Harry said, "So, tell me, Hermione, why do you want to stay in the wizarding world if it's such a hateful place? I mean, you're smart enough that if you went back to the Muggle world, you could catch up on regular school; in fact, I'd wager you do that every summer anyways. Or am I wrong?" Hermione blushed slightly, showing that she did, indeed, do as Harry had surmised. "Well, then, Hermione, what's holding you here?"

Hermione looked down and said, "There's you, even if things have been strained; you're my best friend, Harry. Besides, if I have magic, I should learn to use it. I can always just go to university if I have to after I've learned everything here at Hogwarts and if the Ministry or another magical profession won't accept me."

Harry nodded, but another sharp pain across his temples caused him to fold in on himself, to Hermione's alarm. Harry realized, through his pain, that his time table would have to be moved up, and the pattern of his sacrifices be changed. As Hermione came to kneel next to him, Harry slipped his wand into his hand and pointed it at the girl, who stopped in surprise. "Stupefy," Harry uttered, and the spell shot from his wand, striking the surprised bookworm in the chest. She fell to the ground like a marionette whose strings had been cut. Only the steady rise and fall of her chest would show she was alive. Harry wouldn't be surprised if the Stunning Spell had elements connected with the Killing Curse.

"Dobby," Harry rasped. The elf popped into the room, and whimpered at the sight of Hermione lying on the ground. "Take her to the chamber and get her prepped. Do nothing to help her escape, and tell no one of what you are asked to do. That's an order."

"Y-yes, Master Harry Potter," Dobby replied in a whimper, and took Hermione's arm before popping away. Harry pulled the privacy spells down and headed for the Chamber of Secrets. It was time for the Sacrifice of the Mind.

Entering the Chamber a short time later, Harry found Hermione tied down to the 'altar' for lack of a better term, the jar of Virgin's Blood Harry had harvested resting her head. She was still unconscious, and was currently still clothed. Harry shook his head reminded himself that he had never told Dobby exactly what to do as far as prepping Hermione for the coming sacrifice. The elf was one of those who did everything he could to work around the restrictions placed on him. Harry vowed to handle things more efficiently from now on. He could at least take comfort in knowing that Dobby could not betray his secrets as far as Hermione's fate and what he had to do to cover it up.

A wave of his wand stripped Hermione's school uniform from her body, leaving nothing more than her underclothing to cover her private areas. The girl was not exactly well-endowed, but the fact was she was still 15, and some women didn't fill out in that respect until their early 20s, or Harry had learned from Ron's "secret stash". The redhead had shared said stash with the other boys in the dorm, and Harry had only looked at it once before dismissing it as uninteresting. Perhaps if the women in those magazines had been bound and gagged, it would've been interesting. (1)

A light brush, transfigured from a quill, was dipped into the virgin's blood and Harry painted the runes for Power, Mind, Magic, Transference, and Blood on Hermione's body. Power was above Hermione's left breast; Mind was on her forehead; Magic on her left hand; transference on her right; and blood on her abdomen. The final component, the transfusion devices from a Muggle hospital, was attached to Hermione's neck vein. A quick Enervate woke the girl up, as the sacrifice had to be awake for the ritual to work properly.

Immediately, Hermione began to struggle, and Harry said, "Don't bother, Hermione. The ropes are enchanted to withstand the force of a wild dragon; they can certainly handle a simple witch, even one with your level of intellect. Besides," he waved her wand in front of her face before snapping it in half, "you can't do much without magic, despite being Muggle-raised."

"Y-You made me tell you my most secret issues," Hermione stammered out in anger, "and now what? What's all this about?"

Harry winced as another sharp pain tore through his mind. "Snape attacked me tonight, and its causing serious issues with my mind," Harry gritted out. "It moved up my timetable. If things had gone as planned, you wouldn't have been here until January. But as it is, I have to do this now. Romilda will have to wait."

"W-what are you talking about?" Hermione asked, even as her logical side took over and analyzed everything. Her doe brown eyes widened in alarm and hurt surprise. "You-you're going to kill me?"

"Yes, but not in the way you think," Harry replied. "You see, I've found a ritual that will let me take your magical essence and apply it to a certain aspect of my own nature. In this case, the mind. After that, well, I'm sorry, but I can't let you leave the Chamber alive to tell people about what I'm doing."

"You bastard!" Hermione cried out. "After all we've done together, all we've been through! I've fought Voldemort with you, and exposed Pettigrew! Doesn't that mean anything!"

"Legilimens," Harry replied, and viewed Hermione's real thoughts. Surprisingly, they were roughly in line with her spoken words. He sighed and affected a sad smile. "Truthfully, Hermione, I've never had friends. Not really, anyways. You and Ron were close, but the fact is, we're very different people. Ron was too laid-back, you were too unwilling to see things for what they were, believing in authority, and I was too afraid to lose either of you and be a loner again that I said nothing. I'm touched that you actually did consider me a friend, but the fact is, this has to happen."

Harry opened up the valve for the transfusion (the other end being stuck in his right arm) and immobilized Hermione before uttering, "_**Mens Magicka Extractum Sanguis!**_" in parseltongue.

Hermione's blood was swiftly overtaken by a golden-hued mist which moved out of her body, along the tube, and into Harry's body. Harry was caught up in the influx of magical and mental power, but he could still hear the primal scream that wretched from Hermione's throat as her magic and mental prowess (the two things that she treasured most of all besides her friendship with Harry) was stripped from her and absorbed into the boy she thought of as her best friend. This continued on for a period of three minutes, and Harry soon found himself enjoying the screams and the pain Hermione's aura was giving off. He could feel her mental prowess mending the wounds Snape's attack had inflicted on his mind, forming rudimentary Occlumency barriers, and focusing the sharpness of his own mind to match that of his friend, who lay writhing in agony on the altar.

Finally, the transference completed, and the tube (which had been spelled previously by Harry) vanished upon completion. A quick episkey fixed the puncture in Hermione's neck, and she lay, breathing raggedly, on the altar, recovering from her magic and mental prowess being drained. Finally, she turned her head to look at Harry, who was now standing erect and had his 'pureblood mask' (as she called it) on his face as he looked at her impassively. "You're a monster," she said brokenly.

"I'm a necessary monster," Harry said, running a finger along Hermione's cheek, which she cringed away from. "The wizarding world of Britain must conform to a new ideal if it is to survive. If not, then it will be destroyed."

"W-What are you saying?" Hermione stammered.

"If the magical world does not conform to my ideals, I will use Voldemort to destroy it and then destroy him," Harry said bluntly. "The magical world has made me their enemy, without even knowing it. No longer will I be their scapegoat, Hermione. They must own up to their mistakes, or they will perish. Now, its time to say goodbye."

A quick wave and jab of his wand released Hermione from her bindings and sent her splashing into the pool of water in front of the enormous Hogwarts Emblem Harry had constructed. He thought that the little lie he had told her would give for an amusing "last words" statement from her, and she did not disappoint.

While thrashing in the water (she wasn't exactly the best swimmer, but she knew how to swim when occasion called for it) she yelled, "You won't get away with it, Harry! Dumbledore will stop you! The Ministry will stop you!"

Harry threw his head back and laughed, his laugh eerily similar to that of Tom Riddle, though Hermione was not to know that. "Oh, the irony of your words, Hermione," Harry said, his magic sensing Hermione's doom approaching. "I have done what Voldemort could never do. I have driven Dumbledore from this castle, and thanks to his part in protecting Severus Snape, the man who set my parents up to die, he will never see the light of day from Azkaban. As for the Ministry, they are incompetent and unwilling to change, which you well know. By the way, Hermione, do you think you taste good?"

Hermione looked confused for a moment before her face twisted in pain as one of the cookie cutter sharks, which had been attracted by her thrashing as sharks were wont to do when sensing what they believed to be prey in distress, attached its jaws to her right calf. Even as she cried out in pain, the other five cookie cutter sharks charged forward, attaching themselves to thighs, stomach, breasts, and one of them attached themselves to her neck. A drowning scream was heard before Hermione vanished beneath the surface. Blood seeped from the roiling water, showing the Muggleborn witch struggled for minutes before finally succumbing to her ultimate fate.

"_**Why couldn't I have had her?**_" demanded Alejandro.

"_**You'll get the next one,**_" Harry replied. "_**And if Juan is healed by then, he'll have the final one. The Veela champion, Delacour.**_"

Harry called out to Dobby. When the elf appeared, Harry said, "From now on, Dobby, you will do this precisely when I say to prep a sacrifice. You will remove their main clothes, leaving only their underclothes on their bodies; you will paint the runes required for that ritual, and you will get everything attached. You will never tell anyone of your role in these deaths, and you will get rid of the belongings of the victims without anyone seeing you do so. These are orders, Dobby. You will also _**never**_ tell anyone what I do, why I do it, or how I do it. Understood?"

"Yes, Master Harry Potter," Dobby replied softly, casting his eyes downward. He was still having a hard time believing that Harry Potter, the boy he had saved and who had seemed so sympathetic to the plight of house elves, was the same person who was now ordering him to cover up deaths of fellow students, of people he should be trying to save.

"You will get rid of Hermione's belongings when no one is around, nor will you reveal your knowledge of her disappearance," Harry replied. "If someone forces the issue, tell them that Harry Potter did as she asked him to do, helped her escape her parents' attempt to take her back to the Muggle world. Again, Dobby, this is an order." Harry hated having to keep stating something was an order, but he was never going to make the same mistake as Lucius Malfoy did.

Sighing, Harry decided it was time to retire for the night.

Back in Gryffindor Tower, Harry found Neville waiting for him by the stairs, looking rather serious. Sighing in resignation that he wouldn't be able to sleep just yet, Harry jerked his head towards the fireplace, and the two Gryffindors sat in the red velvet chairs that Harry and Ron had frequented in years past. "What's up, Neville?" Harry asked.

"Harry, after all you've done, I decided it was time I started living up to my family name," Neville said, looking serious. "I've pretty much let Gran run roughshod over me, but after all you've done I decided I should start being who I am rather than who she thinks I should be. I contacted Gringotts, and what they told me. . ." Harry waited as Neville visibly screwed up his courage. Whatever it was that Gringotts had told him, it had to be bad.

After a few more moments of silence, Neville sighed and said, "Apparently, my Gran's been siphoning off the Longbottom accounts since my parents were incapacitated. She makes a minimal payment for their upkeep at St. Mungo's, and funds several so-called charities that, according to the goblins, go to something called The Order of the Phoenix. Guess its some anti-Dark group or something. The goblins also told me I was supposed to take up the title of Heir Apparent this past summer on my fourteenth birthday, and since Gran didn't inform me about it, that gives me the option to exercise the Rite of the Bloodline and usurp her position. But I'm not sure what to do. I mean, she's kept me safe all these years, right?"

Harry sat forward in his seat, and said, "Neville, I'm guessing you're asking my opinion, so please note I'm saying this with the utmost respect for you and your family. Remember first year, how everyone was telling tales from their childhood?"

"Yeah, I remember you didn't say anything," Neville said, thinking back. "What of it?"

"You say you're Gran kept you safe. Did she really? Every story you told about your family trying to scare the magic out of you was one of attempted murder, Neville. Did she ever step in? Did she ever tell your Uncle Algie to stop his bastardly ways? I remember you saying she was so happy she cried that you had magic when you bounced instead of splattering on the cobblestone. What does that say, Neville?" Harry finished, giving his friend a long, considering look.

The other boy was remarkably pale. He had been thinking much the same things since last year, when the dementors had revisited those very memories on him. To hear another boy who had been in a similar situation (again, because one of the old guard thought they knew best) tell him the same things he was thinking crystallized his decision. "I'm going to write Gringotts, tell them to go ahead and have me assume control," Neville said. "Out of respect for the help you've given me, and because we're friends, I thought I should tell you: Gran's out for your blood. She's pulled some strings to get herself placed as temporary headmistress. She starts tomorrow."

Harry's features closed down. "I'm sorry, Neville, but if she gets in my way I'll take her down just like I did Dumbledore. No one is going to keep me from fulfilling my plans."

"What plans are those?" Neville asked.

"After I've dealt with your Gran, we'll talk," Harry said. "That is, if I can count on your support?"

"My gran's forgotten that the Longbottoms have a history of standing with the Potters," Neville said. "My Dad was no different, and neither am I. I haven't been up to par while we've been here, but I'm gonna change that. I'll stand with you. Besides," Neville smiled grimly, his lips thinning in distaste, "my Gran, her brother, and his wife need to learn what happens when you tickle a sleeping dragon in the eye."

Harry chuckled at the reference to Hogwarts' motto, and the two young Gryffindors, each of them the Lord or Lord Apparent of their respective Ancient Houses, headed for the dormitory to get some much needed sleep before the events of the following day. Yet again, Harry Potter would be making the news as he took a member of the Old Guard to task for their abusive and near-murderous antics.

_**A/N: Okay, hope everyone liked this chapter. If you didn't quite understand why Harry did Hermione before Romilda, it was because he needed his mental defenses and such fixed after Snape's assault, and the pureblood sacrifice is aimed at charisma and an aura of command rather than mental prowess. **_

_**In case anyone's wondering, Harry has a bit of a fetish for amateur bondage. **_

_**Next chapter will, at the least, include Harry and Neville confronting the former Lady Longbottom. **_

_**Updates might be slow as I am working not only on this, Malignus, and the SG Jedi series on my other profile, but also my own original works. **_


	13. Chapter 13

_**A/N: Here's another one. I hope I handled everything to satisfaction. Well, unless you're a canon-loving ape, in which case you're screwed. **_

_**By the way, some people might wonder how Rita can get away with going after someone like Augusta Longbottom without the same consequences as Molly received going after Harry. The difference is that Molly's rants and Ron's jealousy were based on opinions and speculation (in essence slander, untruthful commentaries), while Rita is printing facts (though of course twisted to suit the purpose of Lord Potter) that cannot be refuted. **_

_**Also, while Augusta is supportive of Dumbledore in canon, I highly doubt she would agree with him on all things. He encouraged those who did not have self-confidence in themselves, while she was at least aware of what her brother was doing but did not stop it. This is negligence at best, complicity at worst. I see Augusta Longbottom as being very traditional. It was only after the DOM debacle that she started seeing her grandson in a favorable light, and even then, it was more about his father than him. **_

Chapter 13

Harry Potter waited until Neville had gone to sleep, his snores filling the dormitory, before he retreated back downstairs and headed for the Chamber of Secrets. He had certain things to prepare in order to be ready for Augusta Longbottom's attempt at taking control of Hogwarts, for that is precisely what was happening. He knew she was coming after him for what he had done to Dumbledore; no doubt because they were old friends and they had collaborated on a number of issues. Harry had already planned to bring an end to Augusta Longbottom, so to speak, but not a permanent end as many would believe. No, he need not have her dead. He only needed her out of the way, ruined, and unable to pose a threat. For that, he needed his ally in the media, with whom he had prepared a slew of articles.

Once in the Chamber, Harry activated a communications mirror that he kept there; it was attached to only a handful of individuals, one of which was Rita Skeeter. As the woman in question appeared on the mirror's 'display', her sour expression changed to one of delight. "Ah, Lord Potter," she all but purred, "I assume you have some good news for me."

"Indeed," Harry replied. "I've received information that Augusta Longbottom is to take control of Hogwarts as the new Headmistress. Considering her actions towards her grandson, surely this would not be something that the wizarding world at large would accept?" Harry smiled as Rita's face lit up with delight.

During their conversations (yes, plural) in the Chamber of Secrets, he had spoken with her about the antics of Augusta Longbottom and her odious brother, whose status as an Unspeakable was all that kept him from being considered a loathsome wizard. He had used that status to cover up the numerous attempts he had made on his 'useless squib of a Great-Nephew', as Neville had once told Harry. While he and Harry had never been incredibly close, they had bonded slightly as far as the mistreatment they received from those who were meant to care. Neville had actually told him most of those things in the days after the Goblet of Fire spat his name out and this entire thing had snowballed.

But Harry had not yet been ready, at the time of the articles he had codenamed Phase One were released, to sully the Longbottom name. Mainly because he had no idea if Dumbledore would skate off the charges the Ministry brought to bear against him. Now that Dumbledore was in Ministry custody and currently awaiting trial in the high security wing of Azkaban, Harry knew the likes of the Longbottoms (the older ones, anyway) were to be dealt with. Not to mention, Neville's information revealed tonight needed to be added, to finally seal Augusta Longbottom out in the cold.

"Shall we use the entirety of the Phase Two articles?" Rita asked.

"No. Just the Longbottom one for now," Harry said. "After Dumbledore's trial, the remainder of the Phase Two articles can safely be released. We also need to change a few things." Harry explained what Neville had told him about the findings of Gringotts, Augusta taking measures to keep her son and daughter-in-law in their current state, and funding several 'charities' that led directly to the Order of the Phoenix, which was led by Albus Dumbledore. All those who funneled monies into those charities would likewise be investigated, Harry was certain. Once he and Rita had finished hashing out everything, he cut the connection, and let out a soft laugh. "Soon, the Wizarding World will acknowledge its place," he muttered. "They wish to be guided like sheep. Well, then, they shall have their shepherds."

_**Great Hall – The Next Morning**_

Augusta Longbottom was a woman on a mission as she headed into the Great Hall on her first morning as the new Headmistress of the prestigious school. With Albus's fall from grace, it fell to her to bring the upstart Lord Potter to heel, and she intended to do so by implementing some of the older school rules regarding corporal punishment. Dumbledore had been a fool to ban such practices; it had kept many of their own generation from becoming Dark Lords and followers of such monstrosities. She was, of course, purposely ignoring that such an institution had been in place during the school years of Tom Riddle, which had not been a deterrent in any fashion to the excesses of Tom's future followers, including the elder Nott, Malfoy, and Rosier.

Yes, the young 'Lord' would learn what true discipline was, something he had clearly not gotten enough of despite his Muggle relatives taking a firm hand in it.

If Augusta had had a modicum of intelligence, she would have waited until after reading that morning's _Daily Prophet_ before entering Hogwarts, to know what sort of reaction she would receive. But she felt that no one would dare attack her, even Rita Skeeter, because of her status and position as the current matriarch of the Longbottom family. With the McKinnon family decimated during the war, Augusta had found herself without any sort of power until her husband had died.

She had suitably trained Frank, though the influence of Alice had caused him to begin resisting her desire to control how the Longbottom family approached the war. She had desired a neutral position, but due to Frank's close friendship with James Potter, and the Longbottom history with the family, she had been overruled. Of course, Albus's pleading with her had also softened her, despite her disagreements with the man.

Than that terrible and yet wonderful day had come when Alice and Frank had been attacked by Death Eaters. Augusta knew that there would never be any advancements in the treatments available for long-term victims of the Cruciatus Curse, so she had felt no guilt in only paying the bare minimum to keep them alive and relatively well in St. Mungo's. She felt their presence would help emphasize the points she would make to her grandson in his life, until she found out that he was a near-squib. She blamed Alice, a half-blood who had (in her mind) seduced her son away. The problem, in Augusta's mind, was that so few valued tradition nowadays. Lord Potter did seem to have a grasp, but he acted with the impudence of a child and should be treated as such, regardless of his status.

Entering the Great Hall, Augusta found the students falling silent as she walked between the tables, eyes locked on the seat to Minerva's left. That is, until her way was blocked by an Auror who had shimmered into existence, as though waiting for her. "What are you doing?" she snapped. "Out of my way."

"I've been ordered to bring you to the Ministry for questioning," the man said, his wand firmly gripped in his hand. If Augusta had known legilimency, she would have been shocked at the thoughts racing through the man's head. He had been a victim of child abuse from a pureblood family himself, and he had become an Auror to settle the score. His arrest record spoke for itself, and he was assigned quite often to these sorts of cases. Unlike the Muggle world, where someone with personal experience with such elements was required to step aside, the magical world believed those with personal experience in certain areas (such as abuse in all forms, whether it be magical, physical, sexual, or mental) made the best investigators and prosecutors, as they knew what to look for and how to find it.

Augusta's expression soured but she was in no way desirous of her first day as Headmistress to be mired by the image of her dueling a recognized member of the Ministry's authority. She nodded sharply, and allowed herself to be led from Hogwarts once more. She was so caught up in her thoughts of what her plans for Hogwarts were that she did not notice the amused expression on the young Lord Potter's face, nor the smug one on the face of her grandson. If she had, perhaps she would have felt some concern about what she was being led to.

_**Ministry of Magic – Department of Mysteries**_

The Department of Mysteries, while a part of the Ministry, was much like the covert organizations you often saw in Muggle spy movies. In fact, they had even taken a cue from some of those movies; one of those cues being that they would police their own to maintain the integrity of the Department. When the word came down about what had now been revealed about one of their number, Croaker and Bode (the Department's best Cleaners) were sent to handle everything. Rita Skeeter's past history of writing sensationalist articles without facts had been drowned out by her more recent articles; while still sensational, they

They arrived at the office where Algernon McKinnon worked, grim-faced beneath their Concealment Cloaks. The man had been an odious individual from the beginning, and there had been suspicions about his extremist traditionalism in the past, but they had not yet had proof. Now that there was proof, splashed across the front page of the Daily Prophet no less, there was no other choice. Of course, the fact that the majority of the Department had hoped Algie was guilty of something bad enough to have him removed was a minor boost.

Algie, who like his sister had stopped reading the Daily Prophet as often as he used to, looked up with a bit of surprise on his face. "Bode, Croaker, what are you doing here?" he asked, looking a little nervous. "Is there some information you need about a magical bond or something?"

"No," said Croaker, before raising his wand. "_Avada Kedavra!_" The jet of green light shot out of the wand and caught the odious man full in the chest. The man had no chance to voice his surprise before his connection to the world was cut. The Killing Curse was so hideous not because it killed, but because it destroyed energy, the very essence that would make up what others would call a soul. This was the main reason the curse could not be blocked except with Old Magic (as evidenced by Lily Potter) and a solid object (even a recently deceased body). For those who fell to the curse, there was no afterlife; they simply ceased to be. There was, of course, tales of objects that could bring back shades of those who died, even from the killing curse. The Department had learned that these objects merely projected the expectations of the user. If someone was seeking a particular bit of advice, they would hear what they wanted to most from those who had gone on before them.

Croaker nodded to Bode, who would take over the Cleaning portion of their job. The man was effective and ruthless. There would not even be a spec of what the Muggles called DNA left for people to locate Algie with.

The Department handled its own affairs, and would continue to do so. But perhaps what had happened here could help break Augusta Longbottom, who was just as odious as her brother but not as well-known for it (until now). Smiling, Croaker sent a Patronus Messenger to Amelia Bones, who could pass on the information to whoever interrogated Augusta.

_**Ministry of Magic – DMLE Questioning**_

Augusta had waited for nearly an hour in the tightly-sealed room. She had maintained a 'stately' positioning, looking very prim and proper to any who observed her. Auror Anders, the man who had arrested her, was waiting in the corner. She doubted the man would be the person to interrogate her, but she was wondering why she had been brought here in the first place. All that the man had said was that he was to bring her for questioning, and he had refused to give any further information to her. Augusta had kept herself occupied by thinking of what she would be doing in the coming weeks to ensure Lord Potter was brought to heel.

Augusta's musings were interrupted as Amelia Bones walked in, looking grim. Augusta asked, "Amelia, what is this all about? I barely arrived at Hogwarts before your little dog here accosted me and demanded I come with him!"

Amelia turned to Auror Anders and asked, "Does this match your recollection of events, Auror?"

"No, it does not, ma'am," Anders replied. "I did as you asked, and was under a Disillusionment Charm. I revealed myself and informed Mrs. Longbottom that I had been asked to bring her into the Ministry for questioning. Nothing more, nothing less."

"Thank you, Auror Anders," Amelia said, a grim look on her face. "Do you wish to press charges of slander against Mrs. Longbottom?"

"No," Anders said, a slight smirk coming across his face "What she's got coming is more than enough."

"Indeed," Amelia replied, before turning back to Augusta, who was looking between the two and seemed to be working herself up into a bit of a rage. Amelia decided to head it off and asked, "Mrs. Longbottom, did you read the _Daily Prophet_ this morning?"

"I didn't have the time," Augusta said, a look of disdain on her face. She personally believed the Prophet had begun to go to seed now that it was reporting the whims of a 14 year old boy and slandering the man who had been champion of the light for neary 50 years. "Was there something of worth in today's article? I assume there was, since I was brought here."

Amelia tilted her head and said, "I am afraid, Mrs. Longbottom, that you have been charged with Conspiracy to Commit Child Abuse, Conspiracy to Commit Murder, and Negligence. I wish I could charge you for withholding the full resources you have to aid in the recovery of Frank and Alice Longbottom, but I cannot because our world doesn't have laws against withholding aid from the mentally ill."

"You have no grounds if all your charges come from that rag of a newspaper," Augusta scoffed and stood. "We're done here."

Anders moved fast, too fast for Augusta (whose eyesight was not the best as it was) to follow. One moment she was moving for the door, the next she was bound to the chair, and Anders was looming over her. "Permission to treat the suspect as hostile, ma'am?" he asked Amelia, tilting his head towards her.

"Granted," Amelia said in disgust. "Oh, and Augusta? The charges were filed by way of Gringotts owl on behalf of Lord Neville Longbottom, and he did charge you with two others, which you will be facing in a Goblin court. Both deal with your mishandling of the Longbottom finances in regards to the care of Frank and Alice Longbottom, and your money-laundering for the Order of the Phoenix, an organization that was officially disbanded and disavowed after the fall of Voldemort. It is clear that Albus Dumbledore and others such as yourself were continuing to fund the core membership of the group, and you have all been declared vigilantes. Arrest warrants have been sent out, and by the end of the day every single member of the Order of the Phoenix will be in Ministry custody, beyond those who have already sworn their oath of allegiance."

Amelia turned to go, then turned back. "Oh, and the Unspeakables had had their suspicions for years about what you and Algernon were doing to Neville. They took care of him this morning. Now the McKinnon line will truly come to an end."

Amelia left the room, and Augusta looked up into the eyes of the man who she had been left alone with. The man smiled, but there was nothing amused or pleasant about the smile. It was full of malice and hatred, and would not have looked out of place on the face of a Death Eater.

The man waved a hand, and laughed. "Oh, that's good," he said. "My magical prowess continues to amaze even me. Oh, but I forgot to introduce myself. You see, I was raised in one of the traditional pureblood homes such as yours, and I saw first-hand the kind of abuse that is rained down on innocent children. I was a foster child."

"What did you do with your hand? What is all this?" Augusta demanded, feeling a bit of panic.

"I'm getting there," Anders replied. "I trained my magic, focused it so as to appear weak. From the very early days I knew I would have to work for everything I received. I was Sorted into Ravenclaw with strong leanings towards Slytherin. I got all the best marks, and I have risen in the DMLE for a long period of time. No one has suspected my control over wandless magic because they all think I'm a half-blood who was left for dead, and therefore weak and little more than trash. Much like you thought your grandson was."

"Then who are you? And what did you do!?" Augusta screamed at him, now feeling the panic going after her heart.

"I cast an illusion which will show those observing us that you are being impertinent and unyielding, but not asking for a lawyer," Anders replied. "When you die, and you will before I leave this room, it will appear as though you caused yourself to have a heart attack. Can you not feel it? The vice like grip on your central life center?" Augusta could. She looked up into the man's eyes. "You asked who I am. I am the man whose family was wronged because of people like you; my parents were forced to give me up so they could do their work without worrying about my safety. I am the man who had to watch as his parents were sentenced to life in Azkaban for believing strongly in keeping the true traditions of our world, the rituals and the holidays and the POWER alive.

"I am Scorpius Lestrange."

Augusta had only moments to look into the eyes of the man whose parents had deprived her son of his sanity before she felt the vice-like grip tighten, and she felt sharp pains down her left side before the darkness took her.

_**A/N: Scorpius will play a vital role in the New Order. He is not as powerful as Voldemort and Harry (the true power of the two will be revealed in the second book of this series), but he is close and he will rise to be their most powerful enforcer. How this happens, you'll see. **_


	14. Chapter 14

_**A/N: Hope everyone enjoys this chapter. **_

Chapter 14

Minerva McGonagall sighed as she took the seat of the headmaster. It was startling to think that only this morning, she had thought that she would continue to be nothing more than the Transfiguration teacher and Head of Gryffindor. But now she was the headmistress of Hogwarts, officially. Augusta Longbottom had died during questioning. Apparently, her heart had given out when confronted with the sins of herself and her brother, and the final nail in the coffin had been the death of her brother. Now, Minerva had never been very friendly with the McKinnons. In truth, the McGonagall and McKinnon families had always had a rather strong distaste for one another. But there was very little of the McKinnon nature in the young man who was now Lord Longbottom.

Of course, that was something that troubled Minerva as well. There had been no signs of abuse for the staff to see in any of the children under their charge, and yet now two of her Gryffindors had become the Lords of their respective Houses because of the failings of the Wizarding World to properly investigate the home lives of those orphaned by the War with Voldemort. It appeared that Neville had formed an alliance with Harry, and had in some fashion gained the same vindictiveness that Harry now possessed towards those who he saw as failing him.

Oh, Minerva was no fool. She had little doubt that Harry took great pleasure in everything he had done so far, from publicly shaming Hogwarts and its staff to the death of Severus Snape. The boy was powerful, charismatic, and the son of two powerful sorcerers. Of course, that was something few people knew about. Lily and James Potter had had to replace their wands after their first battle against Voldemort not because of any accident, but because their burgeoning powers (which had awoken upon finding each other and acknowledging that they were two sides of the same coin) had, in Muggle terms, fried the circuits of their wands. So Ollivander had been contracted by the Potters to craft new foci for them. Ollivander had created wands that had the properties of the ancient staffs that wizards used at one time.

Harry was naturally powerful, and Minerva wondered what would happen if the boy ever found someone whom he could truly be himself with. Would his power double as it had with his parents, or would it remain the same? Either way, Minerva found herself hoping for the best for her two young lions who had been forced into adulthood by the failures of those who called themselves authorities. Besides, Lord Potter had his hands full this evening, trying to calm a pair of irate Muggles.

_**Chamber of Secrets**_

Robert and Jean Granger swam slowly to consciousness. They had come to Hogwarts to get their daughter, having talked to that Weasley man, who was quite sympathetic to their plight. The Weasleys were the only ones in the magical world that they knew who possessed a telephone. Arthur had escorted them to Hogwarts, where they had met up with Harry Potter. Arthur had turned them over to the boy, who had talked with them briefly. They had refused to acknowledge his claims (how could a child be a noble, after all) and he had finally acquiesced, telling them that he could send them to meet Hermione, but he could not do it within the castle or outside of it, as that would make it seem as though he was breaking his word to keep her out of her family's reach. He had told them he had helped her escape by taking her to a chamber beneath the school, where the wards did not reach. The Grangers had remembered reading about such a chamber in those news articles. So they had asked him to use the Chamber to send them to meet Hermione.

They had only just entered the Chamber when they had blacked out. Now awake, they became entirely too aware that they were not in a position they wanted to find themselves in. Their limbs were bound tightly, and they lay on a cold stone floor with a pair of giant snakes hovering over them, the reptilian eyes showing nothing but a sign of hunger. Looking around, they found the boy who had led them down here.

Harry, for his part, just shook his head at the pathetic Muggles. He had long since realized that he didn't much care for their kind at all. He wasn't all for the wholesale slaughter of the entire race, but that was because he knew the capabilities of Muggle savagery. He had always been rather intelligent, and he knew about the history of the Muggle world, the atrocities that had been committed in the name of God. Even today, religious people would confuse mental illness with possession by the devil, and no doubt they would feel the same way about magic. Of course, the Grangers were clearly not that way, since they had not outcast their daughter or killed her (no, that had been Harry's pleasure); but they had continued to push and had entered a world that was not theirs, demanding that which they had no rights to. In that way, they were just as arrogant and foolish as their daughter, and on the same level as the Dursley family (who would get a just reward of their own, one day).

Mr. Granger was the first to speak. "Let us go!" he growled out, trying to break free of the ropes binding him. _Foolish Muggle,_ Harry thought idly. Magical ropes, as he had explained to Hermione before the ritual began, could hold something as large as a basilisk or a dragon down if conjured right. A muggle had no chance of breaking them, especially since the Muggles were bound at the ankles, knees, wrists, and elbows. It was rather difficult to break any sort of bindings.

Harry tilted his head, watching the Muggles. This was not part of his original plan, of course. He had not thought they would be foolish enough to invade Hogwarts, and so Harry had had to do some quick thinking. True, he could obliviate them, but the fact was, if anyone from the Wizarding World ran into them again, it might break the charm. No, far better to deal with them as permanently as he had dealt with their daughter.

Finally, Harry spoke. "You should not have come here."

"Our daughter is being held in this castle by you people," Mr. Granger snarled, his eyes promising pain. "We're her parents."

"Your daughter was a witch, and anything regarding her place in this world was never meant to be decided by a pair of insignificant Muggles," Harry said, an amused look on his face. "Just like the Dursleys could never have forbade me from coming, you would never have won, and you would have been obliviated and all traces you had a daughter destroyed."

Mr. Granger looked ready to explode at the impudent brat, but his wife was the one who spoke. Hermione had inherited her father's temper (which thankfully Harry had not had ot deal with much of), and her mother's intellect and logical side. Jean Granger had picked up what Harry wasn't saying through how he worded his choices.

"What did you mean, she was a witch? That we had a daughter?" she asked, voice tremulous. Harry tilted his head towards her, and noted that, voice and body, she was likely the closest to what Hermione would've looked like in the future. Of course, that wasn't surprising; it seemed regardless of if you were wizard or Muggle, a boy took after the father while a girl took after the mother (though Harry was going to restrict Ginny Weasley's childbearing abilities since the last thing he needed was a loudmouthed bitchy shrew in his service, if he didn't just kill her off in secret).

"Ah, yes, that little thing," Harry said, smiling at the two Muggles. The smile did not reach his emerald eyes, which were cold. "You see, last night, our Potions Master decided to attack me mentally. I was forced to move my timetable up. I stripped Hermione's magic and her mental prowess from her before I finally fed her to a fleet of cookie cutter sharks I own. I wonder if she tasted good to them," Harry said out loud, just to 'rub salt in the wound', so to speak.

Jean, for her part, crumpled in on herself as her suspicions of her daughter's fate were confirmed. Robert, on the other hand, tried to rise up and strike at Harry, who laughed as the man managed to stand for but a moment before falling forward again, landing on his face and breaking his nose. Blood poured from the nostril passages as the man's labored breathing filled the air. He turned onto his side, glaring at the laughing teenager. "I'm going to kill you," Robert whispered hoarsely.

"I think not," Harry said, smiling. He raised his wand, and pointed it not at Robert, but at Jean. "Now, Robert, let us see if you can handle your wife being tortured before your very eyes. I hear that to see or hear the one you love being tortured is pain beyond anything Muggle or Magical can inflict. I would never know, as I have never had anyone that I loved."

Robert strained against his ropes as the creature (because this was no boy; no boy could murder another child and then proceed to torture the mother of the girl he had killed) aimed the wand steadily at Jean, who struggled to wriggle herself free. The Granger family as a whole tried to keep in fairly decent shape (mainly because they had seen what could happen if you did not and were not willing to face that sort of fate), but their athleticism had given no aid to their daughter, nor would it give aid to them.

"Crucio," Harry said, his emerald eyes lighting up with malice. Jean writhed under the curse, screaming and Harry felt himself react. He ignored it, keeping the curse going as he said, "You know, Mr. Granger, they say that you have to hate the person you're torturing or trying to kill in order to power the three most terrible curses known to wizard kind. But that's not true. All you need is a source of hatred, of malice, of cruelty in order to deal out this sort of rage. I'm using my hatred for the Dursleys and for the old man who ran this school to fuel the torture of your dear wife."

Jean was still screaming, and one could see flecks of blood beginning to come out as she had already screamed herself hoarse. Magicals could withstand the Cruciatus for a fairly decent amount of time (five minutes perhaps without any serious damage), but a Muggle had no such ability, and so it was far more damaging to a Muggle. After another minute, as more flecks of blood came spouting from Jean Granger's mouth (her screams long since stopped and only coughs coming now), Harry lifted the curse and lowered his wand. He turned his face upwards, and hissed, "_Juan._"

Juan hissed with pleasure as he slithered down and opened his mouth. Robert screamed out in denial even as the anaconda proceeded to swallow his wife whole, a very small muffled scream barely heard because of the damage her vocal cords had taken. Harry had removed the bindings on Jean, and both he and Robert had the pleasure (or misfortune in Robert's case) of watching the woman's legs kicking before they vanished into the snake's mouth.

Harry moved in front of Robert, and took in the man's defeated expression. He smiled. "You are broken, Robert Granger. Your daughter is dead, as his your wife. But there is one final element to this most grievous punishment. You are Christians, are you not?"

"Y-yes," the man said, looking up into the eyes of Lucifer's pawn. "Now they're safe from you and your master."

"Well, yes, they died with their souls intact. Their bodies are being digested, but their spirits, or souls, or energy, whatever you want to call it, will live on. But there exists a curse in the Wizarding World, Robert, a curse so feared because it destroys the soul, leaving no mark upon the body as a result. You will go to neither heaven nor hell, Robert. You will cease to exist, and you will never see your family again."

Harry stepped back, raising his wand. He thought about Dudley, about Vernon, about Dumbledore. He thought about Severus Snape, and raised his wand. "_Avada Kedavra!_"

The jet of green energy, so harmless looking and yet so destructive (far more than even the Parseltongue spell Harry had used on Snape) escaped Harry's wand and struck Robert Granger The man fell the ground, eyes wide and glassy, and his expression one of frozen horror at what had been revealed. What Harry did not know was that he had mirrored Tom Riddle's speech to his father and grandparents right before he had destroyed their immortal souls and ripped his own to create his very first Horcrux, the diary Harry had destroyed in this very chamber years ago.

A soft clapping came from the side, and Harry turned to the man who had been watching, the man who had become Harry's teacher in the Dark Arts. "Good work, Potter," the man said, his dark hair matching his wild eyes, a crazed smirk on his face. His sleeves were rolled up, and the Dark Mark was visible upon his left arm. "You're more of a prodigy than even Bellatrix Lestrange, and let me tell you, that is a compliment."

Harry bowed his head slightly in acknowledgement, and said, "Thank you, Mr. Crouch. I'm glad to be such a good student. It'll be most helpful if I can pick up the other Dark Arts as easily."

Earlier in the day, Harry and Neville had been avoiding the crowds; Neville had chosen to go to the greenhouses for refuge, while Harry had decided to go to the Chamber of Secrets, only to be waylaid by the Grangers. Harry had manipulated them down to the Chamber, and left them unconscious and bound in the Chamber. He had ordered his serpents not to eat them (yet) and gone to seek Professor Moody, or rather the man pretending to be him. Using the Marauder's Map, Harry made sure the man was alone before approaching him. He had focused not on Moody's name, but on the name in the Defense classroom as a crowd of students left. Bartemius Crouch. It was the same name as one of the Tri-Wizard judges, but Harry didn't think the man he met earlier in the year was a Death Eater. But his son? That was a possibility.

Harry had learned for certain that the man was Barty Crouch, Jr., a follower of Voldemort who had been convicted (by his own father no less) of torturing Neville's parents into insanity. Harry had decided that, for the time being, this was one of the secrets he would not be sharing with Neville, if he ever did. If he managed it just right, he could paint it so that Neville believed Dumbledore had made his parents targets, and while that would not excuse the Lestranges or Crouch, it might be enough to keep Neville from trying to kill them every time he saw them. Of course, that's if Harry didn't manage to talk Voldemort into an alliance, and the real campaign actually got back on track. Crouch Jr. had told him about Voldemort's descent into madness while helping him learn the control of the Unforgivables.

Now, they were mentor and pupil, the more experienced Dark Wizard lending his expertise to the young man he felt would become his Master's Heir Apparent. The boy was a Parseltongue, and used Parselmagic effectively. He had killed four people already, five if you counted the Weasley boy's suicide as suspicious (which Barty did). Harry Potter was quickly becoming more powerful than any wizard alive, bar Voldemort.

_**A/N: This chapter's a bit shorter, and I had intended for a bit more torture from Harry towards the Grangers, but I decided I would rather wait for Harry's more sadistic side to come out in the sequel to this fic (fifth year), which is when he begins helping to recruit followers at Hogwarts and has no trust in obliviation. So everyone who's waiting for it, that'll come in fifth year. **_


	15. Chapter 15

_**A/N: Sorry about the delay. I've been a bit drained, creatively speaking, the past week or so. Not sure why. I hope now that things are picking back up that means I'll be updating again. I hate leaving you lot hanging, especially after some of my more 'cliffhanger style' chapters. **_

_**Things begin to take a darker turn in this chapter, especially for a certain nosy reporter. Please remember that this Harry has been training with Barty Crouch Jr. and is much more amoral than the Harry in canon. I also see the use of the Dark Arts not so much changing Harry's demeanor as 'maturing' him a bit, as far as his mental state goes. Bellatrix was the way she was due to two things: inbreeding and dementors (as evidenced by Sirius technically being just as crazy, though I guess he wasn't as sadistic, except perhaps to Snape). **_

_**I can no longer guarantee that this will end with a slash pairing of any kind. It really depends what the muse says. Also, unlike other fics I'm currently writing, I have no 'plan' laid out for this fic. But it seems to be operating okay under the circumstances. Once I finish Rise, I will be making a plot for the final three books in this series. **_

_**By the way, there's a paraphrased quote in here from **_**Curse of the Black Pearl**_**. See if you can spot it. **_

Chapter 15

The Great Hall was abuzz the next morning when the Daily Prophet arrived, announcing not only the deaths of Algernon McKinnon and his sister, but also the arrest of several prominent members of wizarding society for continuing to fund and take part in the Anti-Traditionalist organization known as the Order of the Phoenix. Recognized for its work in the War against Voldemort, the Order of the Phoenix had continued working from the shadows to destabilize the wizarding world, believing (as their leader Albus Dumbledore did) that Voldemort would return and that the traditionalist nature of the wizarding world would allow him to gain a strong foothold.

Dedalus Diggle and Hestia Jones had been captured easily enough; Tiberius Ogden, who was already being investigated, had been snatched up and processed through the system. The Weasley patriarch and matriarch had also been taken into custody, with their eldest son Bill assuming position as Head of House Weasley. Alastor Moody and Minerva McGonagall had been vouched for by Harry Potter, and as such were not under threat. Severus Snape was dead, and therefore no concern. Remus Lupin had been captured and was currently being detained in the werewolf holding pen at the Department for the Disposal of Dangerous Magical Creatures. He would receive a hearing after the New Year to see if he was complicit in Dumbledore's dealings, or if any would step forward to vouch for him (though Harry Potter's support of his teachings during his tenure at Hogwarts gave him the chance to even have a hearing).

Most of those snatched up were the financiers of the Order. The funds from the Order vaults, with the cooperation of the Gringotts goblins (for a fee) had been distributed to reputable charities, including the one began by the Malfoy family to aid Muggleborns in becoming acclimated to the wizarding world. There was even talk of bringing Muggleborn students to the wizarding schools two weeks prior to the start of the school year and giving them a crash course. This was gaining favor, but had not yet come to a vote in the wizarding parliament, which was made up of the Heads of the Department.

Also included in the paper was the announcement that, to ensure the defense had appropriate time to come up with their arguments and evidence, the trial of Albus Dumbledore would be pushed to March of the next year. This was just fine with some people, though some wondered if there was even a point in giving the man a trial when the evidence had already been presented. He had surrendered to the Ministry, so clearly there was evidence that said what he had been accused of was the truth. Still, it would be quite the spectacle to see Albus Dumbledore be brought down in a public trial. Many traditionalists were looking forward to it, and even those who couldn't care less about the politics of the situation were looking forward to seeing a wizard who had trodden on many on his way up the ladder be brought crashing down to the level of a common thug.

In the center of the madness caused by these announcements sat Harry Potter and Neville Longbottom, who ate their breakfast quietly and kept to themselves. Harry would be speaking with Neville later that day, telling him about his plans (but only after gaining an Unspeakable Vow from the other boy). He hoped Neville would agree to aid him, but decided just in case he would reveal only a small portion of his plans to the other boy.

The Weasley family still at Hogwarts had grouped together and was discussing things quietly. With the arrest of their parents, Molly Weasley's words that had caused the trouble between the Houses of Potter and Weasley were no longer effective. She had lost her position as the Matriarch, and therefore held no sway. They hoped that this would mean that Ginny would be allowed freedom soon, though they knew that the Weasley twins needed to bring their plans to fruition unless their older brothers managed to negotiate something with Harry.

The school day was an unusually normal one (for Hogwarts), and soon Harry and Neville had retreated to the Chamber of Secrets, which had become Harry's de facto seat of power within the school (though few knew that it was more than symbolic). "You mentioned plans you had?" Neville said, as they conjured chairs.

"Yes, Neville, but I am not one to suffer fools, nor make bargains with one," Harry said. "I trust you on many things, but these are far more sensitive. I will be bringing Rita Skeeter into them as well, since I need her cooperation, but I must ask that you give me an Unbreakable Vow."

Neville looked up to meet Harry's eyes. He could see that the other boy's eyes held none of the amusement or sparkle of life that they once did. No, Harry Potter's eyes now appeared almost soulless, as if he were someone else entirely. But it was this Harry Potter that had helped Neville; who had brought down many of the old regime in just a few short months. Taking out his new wand, Neville gave an unbreakable vow to never reveal Harry Potter's secrets.

Harry found himself relieved as Neville gave the vow, and he said, "Thank you for your trust, Neville. I know that what I have to say will not be easy for you to hear, but I ask you keep an open mind, and remember who aided you and who kept you downtrodden." Neville nodded, giving Harry a searching look before the other boy continued. "Our world is sick, Neville. And I don't mean a sickness of the body, but a sickness of the mind and the soul. Our traditions are mocked at every turn, and we do nothing because we feel we must bend over backwards because certain people have taken it upon themselves to play god with our world."

"You mean Dumbledore," Neville said, giving Harry a nod to show he understood what he meant.

"Not just Dumbledore, though he has certainly been one of the primary tumors in our society," Harry replied. "The other is, of course, Voldemort and some of his most fanatical followers. Voldemort is alive, Neville, but I feel he may have been. . . . channeled into what he became. Think about it this way. He graduated Hogwarts in 1945, and vanished for all intents and purposes for the next 25 years. Suddenly, he is working to terrorize the wizarding world, using people like the Lestranges as his tools. It would not take that long to learn all he needed about Dark Magic, Neville. It would've taken perhaps ten, fifteen years at the most of dedicated study."

"Then what happened?" Neville asked, who had gone slightly pale at the mention of the Lestranges. "Why did the War begin? Why did he become such a monster?"

"We both know the old regime has jealously guarded their influence within the Ministry," Harry said, Neville nodding his agreement there. "Voldemort, from my research, began first by trying to return to Hogwarts and become a teacher. He was rebuffed by Dumbledore, who had distrusted him, though with good reason, since his fifth year at Hogwarts. In retaliation, Voldemort cursed the Defense position. He worked mainly through the allies he had gained while in Hogwarts, such as the Notts, Malfoys, and others to try and restore the ancient traditions. But when it came right down to it, those who had come into power and who had championed Dumbledore after his victory over Grindlewald held too much sway. I don't know exactly why he became so violent, but it is known he underwent several Dark rituals in order to gain strength. It is not impossible that one of those rituals caused him to lose the cunning he once held. After that, well, we know what happened. 11 years of war, until one night he goes to a cottage to kill my family and ends up being destroyed by ancient magic."

Neville was silent as he mulled over what Harry said. Some of his thoughts entered the conversation as he opened his mouth. "But you don't face the same issues. You've gotten rid of almost the entire old guard, and with the Order of the Phoenix rounded up as conspirators of Dumbledore, you've broken their intelligence network. You've formed alliances with the Malfoys, Greengrasses, and Zabinis. You've made your position clear and championed the ideals of our traditions, as far as they do not hold us back. How long have you been planning this?"

Harry looked surprised, but took the question with ease. "There's always been inklings of it in my mind, Neville, but when I was told I had no choice but to compete and become involved in yet another life-threatening situation at what was often touted as the 'safest place in the wizarding world', I knew it was time to act and I was going to have to hit them hard. Think about this Neville. Disregarding me, every Champion of this Tournament is still just 17 or 18. Barely of legal age for most things in the Muggle world or even our own world, and yet facing a fully-grown, nesting mother dragon is considered a test that's _okay_?" The scorn was heavy in Harry's voice, and Neville found himself effected by Harry's words. Once again, Harry was using vocal magic, but unlike the last time (with Ron Weasley) he was using it purposefully. Neville was a good guy, and the type of person who would be willing to follow Harry for a time. Of course, to truly bring him into Harry's Inner Circle, a sacrifice would have to be made, a sacrifice Harry had already planned out for the end of the year. Until then, Harry would use vocal magic to keep his friend in line.

Neville stood and said, "I've got to think about this, Harry. But I can see your points. The Ministry is being more competent now, but only because you've forced them to be. It's time for a change, and maybe, just maybe, you're the one to lead the charge. But I feel very uncomfortable allying with the likes of the Malfoys and other Death Eaters who got off scot free."

Harry smiled and said, "The difference between the ones who got off and the ones in Azkaban is the ones in prison are VOldemort's most fanatical and loyal followers. The ones who are on the outside have more to lose than gain if and when Voldemort returns. They are useful. We don't have to like them; I certainly dislike Lucius Malfoy for his part in the events of our second year, but I somehow doubt he knew exactly what he was doing. Voldemort often plays things close to his vest, so I doubt Lucius knew exactly what the object he was given custody of could do."

Neville nodded, and Harry escorted him out of the Chamber, keeping an eye on the map to make sure the boy left. The next meeting he had was to ensure that the Daily Prophet's star reporter never strayed from his side of things. He had a suspicion it would require some incentives from him, something he was not unwilling to give. In fact, when considering the possibility of what was to come, he knew he was going to enjoy such incentives.

Back inside the Chamber, Harry waited patiently. At precisely 8 p.m., Rita Skeeter arrived via the one-way portkey Harry had sent her (not that she knew it was one way, as he had implied otherwise). "Lord Potter, always a pleasure," Rita all but purred; if Harry had his way, she'd be making a less-genial sound by the end of the night.

"Ms. Skeeter, thank you for coming," Harry said. "We're not quite ready for the Phase Two articles, as they'll be needed for once Dumbledore's trial is underway. But I do need your aid for something rather sensitive. However, I require an oath of loyalty to the Potter family. An unbreakable vow of loyalty."

Rita Skeeter, despite her apparently vapid expression, was no fool. She had evaded all efforts to control her before, and she could tell the boy was not as experienced as some of his more politically-savvy allies, such as Lucius Malfoy. She said, "I'm sure you don't need such an oath, Lord Potter. Have I not proved myself?"

"You have, as far as bringing down the respectable old guard," Harry said. "But this next bit is more. . . divisive. You are critical to my plans, but I can always find another journalist if I need to. I'd rather not, of course. I have grown quite. . . . fond of our little meetings."

Rita blushed slightly, despite the fact that neither of them had a sexual attraction to one another. She was focused more on her career, and the boy, well, if he were a few years older maybe she'd try something, but neither of them would survive such a scandal. "Lord Potter, I am pleased at your trust, but I cannot make such an oath."

"The funny thing about oaths," Harry said, his voice turning from genial to cold in a matter of seconds, "is that they generally don't need to be willing. They can be coerced when given the proper incentive." Before Rita knew it, her wand was out of her hand and in the hand of the boy, whose entire demeanor had changed as he raised his holly wand. "Lacero!" The light struck her in the right shoulder, and she cried out in pain as the curse left a slight gash there, blood seeping through the cloth. "You will give your oath, or die here, Rita."

"I don't give oaths to anyone, no matter who they are," Rita gasped out, but even she knew it was just a minor issue of defiance. She was by no means a Gryffindor. She had been a Slytherin in school, and she knew when she was beaten. The boy could kill her, would kill her if the look in his eyes was anything to go by, and she was not going to let her life end this soon.

Harry tilted his head and let out a small laugh. "We both know you're lying, but I'll give you this moment of bravado. _Crucio_," the curse left the boy's lips in an almost purring fashion, and Rita Skeeter screamed in agony; she had never felt this sort of pain, and she had covered some fairly crazy stories. She had twitched and flailed on the floor of the Chamber of Secrets as the pain washed through her body, striking her nerves and keeping her from thinking straight. A sharp, acrid scent met her nostrils and she realized, as the curse was lifted, she had urinated herself. A mocking laugh from the teenage boy had her furious, but any thought of going after him (physically or with her quill) ended when he stooped near her and gripped her by the hair, forcing her to look in his eyes. In those emerald eyes, she saw her death; and she knew it would not be a quick one. She knew what he had in this chamber. "You will begin to report rumors, under an assumed name of course, that the following people have a. . . inferiority complex. Romilda Vane and Fleur Delacour. I want there to be no doubt in our world that these two would run off if given the right incentive. Now, your oath." Her wand was given back to her, and shakily, she made an oath of fealty to Harry Potter, swearing to do as he commanded and to never reveal his secrets.

Rita left the Chamber soon afterward, and Harry considered all that had happened. He had Neville thinking of joining his side, and Rita Skeeter would now do as he asked. But he knew very well he was beginning to need an outlet for his rage. Ron was dead, as was Hermione; Ginny, while a convenient source, was young and he honestly didn't see her as being all that useful as a stress relief. Romilda, he would have some fun with but he wasn't about to keep her alive from the end of December until he captured Fleur Delacour; she was far too annoying. So what was he to do?

He realized he had two choices: he could either find a convenient target to use as a practice dummy who he would later obliviate, or he could continue honing his skills in the same way he had done with the Grangers: torture and then kill. But he could not do it more than once a month, if even that. Oh, this was difficult. Perhaps it was time to ask Barty's advice on this topic. He was useful, for the time being, and he was sure Tom was enjoying Barty's reports about how the young Lord Potter was coming along as a protectorate of the Dark Arts.

_**A/N: This chapter was more for set-up and such for the rest of the year. Remus will NOT BE KILLED, have no worries. I have plans for him and for Sirius, and they do not include those two dying. As I see it, Lupin is sworn to protect his 'pack', and Harry is a 'cub' of the pack; Harry will become, in essence, Lupin's alpha at one point (so to speak) and we will see a rather intriguing confrontation with Lupin about the difference between being a werewolf and being a Lycan, as I covered in 'mega-chapter'. **_

_**I have about eight more chapters for this fic, that I have in my head at any rate, which should take us to the end of fourth year. **_


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